


Of Stars Other Than The Sun

by galravibes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Social Media, Swearing, Texting, yamaguchi and yachi are besties because i say so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:42:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23755561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galravibes/pseuds/galravibes
Summary: “You two do have one shared braincell,” Yamaguchi remarked, winning offended looks from both of them and a loud laugh from Yachi.“Okay, he’s perfect, I’m rooting for you,” Kageyama said, and all of them laughed except for Yamaguchi, who was still trying to hide his face in his hands.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 57
Kudos: 389





	1. Let Me Dream A While

_I sing songs that I never write_

_'Cause they are gone by the morning light_

"You can't complain constantly about feeling lonely if you don't do anything to actually change that," Yachi said, matter-of-factly.

The bar wasn’t busy, but the few crossed conversations and the loud music made enough noise to fill the room.

Yamaguchi sighed. He knew that, yet he couldn’t make himself change how he acted. He had been wanting a relationship with someone, or at least have _something_ , for a long time. He’d never had any romantic or sexual experience before and, even though no one was putting pressure on him, he felt as if everyone was moving forward except him.

“It’s just, I don’t know, Yachi, I really have no idea how to flirt, and even if I tried, I would feel as if I was forcing it way too much. I want things to come naturally,” explained Yamaguchi.

“Have you ever had any crush?” asked Hinata. He was sitting next to Kageyama and right in front of Yamaguchi.

“Of course,” Yamaguchi said. “But not many”.

He thought about the first person he remembered liking, how he gave her some daisies he found in his old primary school playground, and how she blushed a little and thanked him, yet she never actually spoke to him again. He wasn’t really hurt because he only had liked her because she was pretty. They were only like 11 years old, so no one could blame him. Then he thought about his second big crush, and his first male crush, back when he was 16. He never tried anything because he was his only friend back then, and a very straight one. In the end, they drifted apart when college started because he moved to another country while Yamaguchi stayed home. He’d had some other small crushes through the years, too, but those two had been the only proper ones. It was difficult for him to like someone to the point of wanting to know them. Or more precisely, to the point of wanting _them_ to know _him_.

“Then you just need to find a crush, right?” Kageyama said while putting his hand over Hinata's and slightly interlocking their fingers. His gesture was on point with his words, but it was obvious that he did it completely absentmindedly.

“Easy for you to say,” Yamaguchi answered. “You’ve been dating Hinata for almost 4 years. First crush, first boyfriend and you guys are still together. Not the best example”.

“But it’s actually true. I mean, if you want to have something with someone, you first need to be interested in someone” thoughtfully established Yachi before taking a sip from her drink.

“Yes! Yamaguchi, let’s find you a crush!” Hinata yelled, which made Kageyama hit him in the arm for being so loud.

“And how are you even going to do that. It’s not like I’m suddenly going to start liking someone. And least of all right here right now. I mean, no ofense, but we lower the average age here and we’re almost 20,” Yamaguchi reminded them.

They loved that bar. It was in the student’s neighbourhood. The actual dorms were rather expensive without a scholarship of some kind, so most students preferred to rent a room temporarily in the neighbourhood where the university was located. The furthest flats were just a 10-minute walk from campus, so it made up for it. That bar was just two buildings from Hinata and Kageyama’s flat and, even if most of the costumers were above 30, the atmosphere was nice, and the staff was kind and chill.

“Duh, social media was invented for something," Hinata started, grabbing his phone from his pocket. "Kageyama and I know people from the volleyball club. You already met some of the guys that one time you came to pick us up after practice. Most of them are around our age, so we sometimes hang out when we're done and they’re super cool guys! And some of them I think would be considered good looking too. Sorry I can’t introduce you to any girls too, though. I only know Yachi here and her girlfriend.”

“That’s fine…” Yamaguchi said, still a little bit confused about what was going on.

“Apparently, people use Instagram to hit on others. It might work,” Kageyama added, looking at Hinata’s phone while he looked for who knows what.

“Hinata actually knows people besides us. Shocking,” Yachi said, playfully.

“Haha, so funny. Anyway, what do you think about this guy?” Hinata handed his phone to Yamaguchi.

The guy in the picture had kind of messy black hair, but it was short enough for it to look good. He was holding a mug with both his hands. Even if he was not looking at the camera, you could kind of see a pair of odd blue eyes. He didn’t really have any kind of expression in his face, but you could tell he was comfortable. The photo looked quite domestic and was cute, which made him think that maybe he was not the best option. He may already have someone, quite likely the one who took the picture.

“He is really pretty, I guess, but not really my type. He also seems way too serious,” Yamaguchi explained, rubbing the back of his head guiltily.

“He’s Akaashi! He looks serious, but he’s actually really nice!” Hinata told them, taking his phone back from Yamaguchi. Kageyama nodded in agreement.

“But Hinata, isn’t he already interested in someone?” Yachi asked. Yamaguchi high-fived himself.

“Hinata is as dense as a rock,” Kageyama smirked looking at his boyfriend, which made Hinata look back and stick out his tongue.

“It's like the pot calling the kettle black” Yamaguchi deadpanned . They were definitely perfect for each other.

“Stop bullying me, oh my God. Anyways, how about this one” Hinata put his phone on the table so all of them could see the next guy. “He’s Kuroo. He looks like he’s kind and will tell you so, but that’s a lie. He likes to annoy everyone except Kenma. He only teases him. But anyway, he’s really good at volleyball and always gives good advice to everyone. Also, he doesn’t look like it, but he’s really smart.”

“You’re not selling him very well,” Yamaguchi laughed . He looked at the picture. This time it was a selfie. He had long and messy hair, kind of spiked up. He wore a smirk on his face and his brown eyes were so light they almost looked yellow.

“Okay, way too handsome for me, I’d feel intimidated. He also looks pretty straightforward and I have no idea how to deal with that,” Yamaguchi admitted.

“You’re actually being picky,” Yachi teased .

“I’m the worst, I know,” Yamaguchi leaned on the back of the chair and looked at the ceiling.

“I was joking, Yama, you _should_ be picky, you deserve to” Yachi put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “And we’re just showing you people. A little bit like looking at a catalogue which is kind objectifying, but physical attraction is also part of relationships. It’s not the most important thing but, of course, the first thing you see from someone it’s the outside, and then you fall in love with the inside, so you have to take it into account. Anyways, I’m going to shut up now, I’m going off topic. Thing is, you’re just looking at pictures from acquaintances and trying to see if someone interests you, so no pressure.”

“And this one?” Hinata showed once more his phone, ignoring their conversation and Yachi’s rambling.

“Not him,” Kageyama muttered.

Yamaguchi looked at the feed. The guy didn’t have many pictures of him, most of them were animals and cityscapes, but he did have one in which you could almost see him. It was a quite aesthetic mirror picture. He was sitting at the edge of the bed, holding his phone. He had short curly blond hair and he wore black framed glasses. He was in a completely white room. Walls, blankets, everything was white. The caption was: “Attention, I have been murdered”. That made Yamaguchi chuckle inside and couldn’t help an obvious smile on the outside.

“I guess he’s cute?” Yamaguchi said, a bit ashamed.

“Oh my God, you’re blushing!!” Yachi shrieked, which only made Yamaguchi’s blush intensify. He felt heat even at the tip of his ears.

“Yamaguchi, go for him!” Yachi encouraged excited. Sometimes she acted just like Hinata would.

“Yachi, lower your voice! And what do you even want me to do?” Yamaguchi asked, stuttering a little.

“Don’t go for him, he’s an asshole,” Kageyama said angrily. His resting face was angrier than usual.

“Kageyama, that’s not true,” Hinata pouted, somewhat offended.

“But he insults us most of the time,” Kageyama stated.

“He doesn’t insult us, he calls us dumb, which we both kind of are, by the way," Hinata recognised, getting a small blush that matched Yamaguchi's big one.

“You two do have one shared braincell,” Yamaguchi remarked, winning offended looks from both of them and a loud laugh from Yachi.

“Okay, he’s perfect, I’m rooting for you,” Kageyama said, and all of them laughed except for Yamaguchi, who was still trying to hide his face in his hands.

“Okay, now let’s proceed with the plan. You have to follow him,” Yachi said, answering the question Yamaguchi asked before.

“No way, I’m not doing that.”

“If you don’t follow him, this was for nothing,” Hinata said, looking at him accusingly.

“You really expected me to follow him, knowing I’m one of the shyest people you know. And you, Yachi, of all people, are the main one insisting,” Yamaguchi tried to make her feel a little bit guilty so he could avoid it, but his tomato look wasn’t helping.

“C’mon Yama, it’s just pressing a button. And it’s Instagram! If he didn’t want to be followed, he wouldn’t have an account, right?” Yachi was not stepping back, and Hinata and Kageyama were backing her up nodding at her words.

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“Shut up, just do it. That’d be doing something,” Yachi handed Yamaguchi his phone. He had no idea when had she taken it from his pocket, but it made him kind of wary about his safety.

It was a dead end, so he just took it and opened Instagram. Hinata spelled the user name so he could write it and he pressed the search button. 

“Oh God, I can’t do it, he has a private account!” Yamaguchi locked his phone faster than ever and threw it on the table, holding his head with his hands.

“Yamaguchiiiiiii” Hinata squealed.

“If you don’t follow him Hinata’s going to scream louder. He’s capable and he has no shame,” Kageyama threatened. For not liking the guy, he was actually being just as persistent as his other two friends, which made Yamaguchi doubt his intentions, but too many things were going on in his head to even bother to think about that.

“C’mon!!” Yachi cheered.

Yamaguchi had three pairs of eyes on him. He felt pressured, and not only because of his friends. He felt the pressure of years running from intimacy and from possibilities, all the complaints he made without doing absolutely nothing. He felt all the bitterness of his half-chosen solitude and decided that he was tired of knowing how to be alone. Now he wanted to learn to share his life, to let someone in, and for that, he had to do something.

So he took his phone, unlocked it and sent a following request to “Tsukishima Kei”.

“I think I’m going to have a heart attack,” Yamaguchi said as soon as que locked back his phone, trembling a little.

“Didn’t know you were such a drama queen,” Yachi laughed.

“Shut up. Why did I even agree, why did I do that. I have to undo it. Can I undo it without him noticing? I can’t, can I? Oh my God, I’m going to die.” Yamaguchi was regretting all his life choices.

“You did it because you actually know that you need to do something other than complain,” Yachi told him, rubbing his knee for comfort.

“You always make good points” Hinata said, smiling big.

“She’s really smart,” Kageyama agreed. “Also, sorry to interrupt, but we should ask for the bill. Hinata and I have to wake up early because we have an exam on the afternoon, and we have to train in the morning.”

“No problem, we can meet again another day” Yachi answered, smiling.

They payed their orders and got up from the table, packing up their bags and coats, and getting ready to face the cold of the night. They went outside, Yachi liking her arm with Yamaguchi's, and Kageyama holding Hinata’s hand. They both shared a look that made Yamaguchi’s heart shrink a little. Yachi noticed his friend’s reaction and tightened the grip of their linked arms. Yamaguchi felt himself blush at how obvious he’d been, but luckily none of the other guys noticed.

"Well, as you guys know, I'm going in the opposite direction, so see you," Yamaguchi said, smiling and waving goodbye right before turning around to walk away. The other three yelled their farewell, disturbing completely the silence that overflowed the almost empty street.

He didn’t bother to put on earphones because that would mean looking at his phone to put some music and he was definitely not going to do that. His heart was still pounding fast after following the guy, so he was avoiding his notifications even more than he normally did.

It was late at night and his coat did little to protect him from the cold. The night sky was clear and a couple of stars were visible thanks to the new moon. He would love to go somewhere far from the city so he could see them even better. The good thing was that, at least, regardless of the place, he would always be able to see the moon. He loved how it bathed the darkest corners in silver light, making everything look prettier. It had nothing to envy to the stars. He could almost forget about the shiverr of winter.

As soon as he got to his flat, he closed the door, careful not to wake up any of his flatmates. He left the coat on the rack and went to the bathroom to wash his hands. He had leftovers from lunch, so he heated some in the microwave and went to his room with his dinner. He closed the door, locked it and sat on his desk. He left the plate on the table and took his phone to check it before starting to eat, completely forgetting the events that took place half an hour ago. He had some notifications that he had been ignoring the whole day, but he was not expecting a new one suddenly appearing on his lockscreen.

 **_tsukishimakei_ ** _started following you._


	2. Somewhere In Between

_Somewhere along the way_

_We lost our shoes_

Tsukishima didn't like having to get up at 6 in the morning to get to volleyball training. He didn't like that his friend and flatmate, Kuroo, showed up at his door every day at 6:15 to remind him that he had to leave, or he wouldn't be on time. At least, he had the decency not to ask him if he wanted to go with him.

He didn't like rushing. He liked to go at his own pace, quietly, calmly. He liked to take his time getting to places, doing things. He liked to take life as if it was a slow song with a music sheet difficult to decipher, with a tedious melody and lyrics that make you stop and listen.

He didn't really like to think, either. Although, to be exact, what he didn't like was to think about what he felt, regardless of the type of feeling. He liked to keep his mind busy to avoid the rush of emotion. That's why he was so good at studying. And when he realized that even with the amount of theorical and practical classes that his degree demanded, he still had free time, he decided to join the volleyball club.

Tsukishima had never had friends. The closest relationship he'd ever had, had been with his brother, and the trust they used to share was long gone. But as soon as he joined the volleyball club, he found himself surrounded by more people than ever, and while he did not consider all of them his friends, they were pulling him out of his loneliness, no matter how hard it was to admit.

They were not that many. Hinata and Kageyama were the last ones to join, being this their first year in the club, even if they were already 2nd years. Kuroo, Bokuto, Akaashi, Oikawa and Daichi all joined in their first year, just like he did.

Out of all of them, Tsukishima spoke mainly with Bokuto, Kuroo and Akaashi, especially with Kuroo. And this year, they even moved in together, at Kuroo's request. Bokuto and Akaashi had something going on between them that neither of them could recognize, and Kuroo was tired of being a third wheel in their shared apartment, so as soon as he started getting along better with Tsukishima, he suggested moving in together with Kenma and Lev.

Now, he wasn’t sure if it had been a good idea. The knocks on the door were driving him a little insane, making him aware that he needed to do something other than staring at the ceiling, and that he'd put an alarm for something.

“You’re gonna be late,” Kuroo shouted from the other side.

Tsukishima threw his pillow at the door as if he could have been able to hit him. He could hear him cracking up on the other side, possibly guessing what Tsukishima had just tried even if he hadn't seen it.

He got up, dressed up with sportswear, put on his glasses, a change of clothes in his sports bag and grabbed it along his backpack. He checked the time, put on his headphones and went out of his room. When he walked through the kitchen to get out of the house, he saw Kenma sitting at the table, which surprised him, considering that he had no reason to get up early.

“How are you not sleeping right now?” Tsukishima asked him.

“A combination of your alarm and Kuroo's loud voice woke me up. It was more the Kuroo thing, though, I’m used to your alarm,” Kenma told him, engrossed in his coffee.

“He's way too loud,” Tsukishima said softly, but Kenma heard him.

“He is,” he replied with a slight smile followed by a big yawn.

“Anyways, see you later,” Tsukishima told him, taking the keys from the entrance table and walking out the door.

He actually didn't mind getting up early. He usually was up before 7 am more often than not. It wasn't even the fact that he was getting early for practice. What he didn't like was waking up to the sound of the alarm clock. And he liked even less when they spoke to him at that time. Tsukishima normally had little tolerance for great talkers, but if on top of that, they used him as a receiver of a conversation when he had just woken up, he became a little aggressive.

The walk to the sports centre was only 10 minutes. He lived in the university dorms because he got a scholarship thanks to his grades as soon as he finished high school, and that included living expenses. The dorms were practical in many ways, and you could even choose who did you want to live with since the very beginning, which was what made it possible for him to move in with Kuroo, Kenma and Lev. First years were the ones who would normally move in with random people at first because they didn’t really know anyone. And the best thing was that the dorms were just like flats, and Tsukishima liked that it made it feel less cold, less temporary.

Three songs later he got to the locker room, left his things in his locker and went to the court. Kuroo was there already, warming up with Bokuto. Hinata and Kageyama were on the other side talking loudly and already playing. Daichi was on his own, stretching, which meant that he just got there. Oikawa was not there yet and Akaashi was always the last one to arrive.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Bokuto screamed as soon as he saw Tsukishima. He sighed in response, but went to where they were.

“You woke up Kenma this morning,” Tsukishima said, just to see Kuroo’s face, and the panic in his eyes was definitely worth it. Revenge tasted sweet.

“Shit, I didn’t know, he’s going to kill me,” Kuroo started saying.

“Ho, ho, you’re in big trouble,” Bokuto mocked, laughing.

“Shut up, owl hair,” Kuroo fired back, which made Bokuto stick his tongue out.

“Did he look mad?” Kuroo asked Tsukishima, actually looking a little bit worried.

“He was only looking at his coffee, so who knows,” Tsukishima replied, grinning mockingly.

“If he managed to make his own coffee, it should be fine” Kuroo sighed with relief.

“Damn! I wanted so bad to go to your funeral and give a sad yet inspiring speech,” Bokuto clicked his tongue.

“Why are you so sad about me being alive,” Kuroo looked at him in disbelief.

“Why do I even consider you two my friends,” Tsukishima said to no one.

Bokuto was going to answer, but Akaashi appeared at the door and Bokuto flew to meet him. Tsukishima and Kuroo looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

“Those to are so in love and so dense, I can’t handle it,” Kuroo put his hands in the air and proceeded to sit down so he could stretch his back.

“I’m going to have to agree with you on that,” Tsukishima followed.

“I’d expect it from Bokuto, but what the fuck Akaashi.”

“He’s good with studies and he’s really smart, but that doesn’t mean he’s not as dense as Bokuto,” Tsukishima said. “And I think that more than dense, he just can’t really believe that Bokuto feels something for him. They’re going to end up together for sure, though. It will just take a little bit of time.”

“Said the witch looking at her crystal ball." Kuroo snorted. "Ah, I'm so jealous. Except for the slow-motion part”.

“Whatever.” Tsukishima really wanted to stop talking about that. He was slightly uncomfortable.

“C’mon, don’t tell me you aren’t even a little bit jealous.” Kuroo pinched him in the arm and Tsukishima slapped his hand away.

“What the fuck.”

“You wouldn’t want something like that?” Kuroo asked, a little bit more serious.

“It’s not that,” Tsukishima replied dryly.

“Then what is it,” Kuroo focused his whole attention in an answer Tsukishima was not going to give. He felt really uncomfortable now.

“Not going to talk to you about this stuff, bye,” Tsukishima said, not even looking at him, as he got up and joined the rest of the group, already prepared to start the actual training.

Feelings were complicated. Shocking news. Facing the disappointment of a bad grade was easy. It was about studying more, or better, and it usually solved the problem. Anger was relatively affordable. He got angry when his mother rearranged things around his room. He got angry when his brother entered his room out of nowhere as if nothing had changed. But it would disappeared shortly after. He didn't care about things enough to be really bothered. Loneliness was easy to deal with, too. He was used to it. She was his faithful companion since he was little, the only one who never completely left. She was the one who tucked him in at night and told him he didn't need anyone. Sometimes he forgot she was waiting when he was with Kuroo, Bokuto and the rest of their teammates, but as soon as he entered his room and was left alone, she welcomed him again. Friendships were too new for him to really process any feelings regarding them. But love, on the other hand, had always bothered him. It was not that he didn’t feel attraction, but he did it rarely and left it in a corner of his mind, so he could not remember it. As for a romantic relationships, he didn't know how to even cope with the thought. He liked the idea, having that trust in someone, exposing you completely and receiving the same back. It scared him, but he liked it. Now, that involved getting someone to like him and Tsukishima knew he had a way too complicated personality for it. And he wasn't going to change who he was just to be liked.

Tsukishima didn't like to think and because of Kuroo, right now his head was full of thoughts. But they were just about to start playing volleyball, so he would think of the court instead of his life.

They trained from Monday to Friday and, without counting the warm-up, from 7 to 8 in the morning and from 7 to 8 in the afternoon. He had class from Monday to Thursday, always starting at 9, so he had plenty of time to shower, change and go for a coffee at his faculty cafeteria to keep him awake during the 4 hours that awaited him in the morning. At least, since it was still early February, they just finished their exams, so he had no laboratory in the afternoon. He could go home to eat, work on his essays and reports, and rest before 7pm.

After an hour, they were all exhausted and not excited at all about going to class. Tsukishima didn’t know what they thought about their respective degrees, but he actually really enjoyed his, so he was not that bothered.

Tsukishima was always the first one to leave. He needed some time on his own after what he considered too much social interaction. He was always the first one to finish and to head to the showers. The feeling of water cleaning away the sweat and tiredness completely made it worth it to put up with the alarm every morning. He enjoyed those few minutes of silence, only thinking in the pattering of the drops on the tiles that were untimely accompanying those that fell on the windowsill because of the weather. He was lucky he remembered to put an umbrella in his backpack.

Tsukishima got out of the shower, dried quickly before the rest had time to get out of their stalls and went to the locker room. He put on the green jumper, blue jeans and simple white tennis shoes he'd thrown in his bag that morning, and he got out.

The day passed quickly and uneventful. He took notes in class, returned home and ate with Lev, to his disgrace (he spoke too much, and Tsukishima did not understand how he was even able to move forward with his food). It reminded him a little of Hinata, and that made him even more stressed. He locked himself in his room as soon as he finished eating, before returning to the sports centre to train again.

***

“Hey, you wanna grab something at the cafeteria?” Bokuto asked Kuroo and Tsukishima, as soon as they finished training.

“Sure, and Tsukishima is joining us,” Kuroo replied. He looked at Tsukishima, who only rolled his eyes. Kuroo knew that meant he was coming, so he smiled and turned his attention back to Bokuto.

“Awesome! I’m going to ask Akaashi too!” Bokuto said happily.

“Of course you are,” Kuroo mocked, poking Bokuto with his elbow. Bokuto slapped his arm away annoyed, but they all could see the blush gaining ground on his face.

He left Kuroo and Tsukishima and they both used the moment to go shower and change into decent clothes. Tsukishima could only enjoy the shower part in the mornings because in the afternoons he always ended up going somewhere with Kuroo, Bokuto and Akaashi. When they all finished dressing, and after talking for a bit with the rest of their teammates, they said their goodbyes and went to the cafeteria. They sat down and Kuroo ordered some things to eat for all of them. Tsukishima felt a little bit bad for talking with Akaashi most of the time and distracting him from Bokuto’s attention, but they both actually had similar personalities and got along pretty well. However, Bokuto and Kuroo were talking about who knows what and Bokuto didn’t seem to notice. And they shared an apartment so they definitely had time to make up for it. After a while, they finished eating and Tsukishima opened his bag to look for his wallet, only to notice he forgot his sneakers in the locker room.

“Sorry, but I forgot my sneakers, so I have to go back,” he said after paying. The rest were already getting up to leave. “You should go, though, it won’t take long, but it’s raining.”

“Are you sure you don’t want us to wait?” Akaashi asked, politely.

“Don’t worry, thank you,” Tsukishima got up and said goodbye to the group.

Of course, the only day he forgets something it has to be raining. He opened his umbrella at the door and went back to the sports centre. He rushed inside, leaving his umbrella in a corner to avoid getting it all wet. He saw the sneakers and put them in his bag, but he sat down a little in the bench before going out.

He checked his phone and saw a new notification that wasn’t there before. He unlocked his phone and opened Instagram. He had a follow request from the username “yamaguchi.t”. He had no idea who he was, so he pressed the username and his profile opened. Hinata and Kageyama were following him, so he guessed it was his friend or, at least, an acquaintance. His profile was public, so he scrolled down his pictures. He definitely had more posts than he did, but there weren’t that many. Most of them were with Hinata, Kageyama and a small girl with blond hair. Apparently the four of them were together more often than not. However, what got his attention were the photos in which he appeared alone. He was usually standing backwards, being for sure pictures that someone else would’ve taken without him noticing. They were all really nice. But there was one, which also was his profile picture, that was a close up of his face. He was face front with eyes closed. He had a round face framed by wisps of straight, slightly dishevelled dark brown hair. Everything was mostly average, but Tsukishima was left breathless as soon as he saw the freckles. The bridge of his nose and cheeks were full of those tiny beautiful marks, and the little he could see of his neck, let him guess that the rest of his body was also covered with them.

_He is a sky full of stars._

Tsukishima was lucky he didn’t tend to blush or right now, he would look bright red. That thought was so cheesy it was disgusting. But he looked at his phone for a full minute without actually doing anything, thinking, and thinking, and thinking, and then, he decided he didn’t have anything to lose.

He didn’t like running, so he accepted the request and followed him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for anyone who’s not getting their years:  
> Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, Yachi, Hinata and Kageyama: 2nd years.  
> Kuroo, Bokuto, Daichi and Oikawa: 4th years.  
> Akaashi: 3rd year.  
> Kenma is not majoring in anything, but he's getting a 2-years certificate of higher education.  
> (In my country most degrees are 4 years so I’m just following that.)


	3. Until We Get There

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Key:  
> • Yamaguchi (bold)  
> • Yachi (italics)  
> • *Hinata*  
> • *Kageyama* (italics)

_Gonna get out of the water_

_Gonna leave the storm_

(01:02) **Yachi**

(01:02) **I’m going to cry**

(01:03) **He accepted my request**

(01:03) **AND THEN HE FOLLOWED ME**

(01:03) **And now I’ve been staring at his profile for hours**

(01:04) **I can’t stop looking at it**

(01:05) **He’s so beautiful ????? And he looks so cool ????**

(01:09) _OMG YAMAGUCHI JUST SHI UO_

(01:09) _YOU’RE GONNA WAKE IP KIYOKO WITH ALL THE BRR BRR NOISE_

(01:10) **I’M SORRY OMG I JUST CAN’T HELP IT**

(01:11) _remember when you literally couldn’t even follow him_

(01:11) _a single tear was dropped_

(01:12) _LITERALLY A FEW HOURS AGO_

(01:12) _AND NOW YOU TELL ME THIS_

(01:13) **I KNOW I’M THE WORST, YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT**

(01:14) _I KNOW AND I STILL LOVE YOU SOMEHOW_

(01:15) _jokes aside, i’m really happy to see you like this, you know_

(01:16) **You’re the best**

(01:17) _< 3_

(01:18) _anyways, we should definitely talk tomorrow bc i'm too tired to think_

(01:18) _nanite_

(01:19) **Good night, Yachi** 😊

***

GROUP CHAT: Table 31

Participants: Hinata, Kageyama, Yachi and Yamaguchi

(09:36) _okay guys_

(09:37) _how do we proceed_

(09:38) **?**

(09:39) *wht ar u tlakin about yachi*

(09:40) _*You’re writing is horrible*_

(09:40) **Kageyama, typo**

(09:40) *kageyama typoooo*

(09:41) _*Shut up*_

(09:42) _LET ME TALK_

(09:42) _in previous episodes, yamaguchi followed a guy he thinks he’s “cute”_

(09:43) _now he follows him back_

(09:43) *HE FOLLOWS YOU BACK ????*

(09:44) *that tsukishima !!!!!*

(09:45) *he followed me back after more than a week!!!!*

(09:46) *and phe follows you back in hours???*

(09:47) *SO JEALOUS*

(09:47) _hinata, shh_

(09:48) *sorry yachi!!!!!*

(09:48) _now comes the hard part_

(09:49) **Wait, following him wasn’t the hard part?**

(09:50) **What do you want me to do now**

(09:51) **Haven’t I suffered enough?**

(09:51) _you just followed someone on social media_

(09:52) *are you okay ??????*

(09:52) **I’m clearly not**

(09:52) _*Do you want some milk*_

(09:53) _bi panic approaching_

(09:53) **I hate you all**

(09:54) _POINT IS_

(09:54) _now you have to talk to him_

Yamaguchi has left the group chat

Yachi added Yamaguchi

(09:57) _YOU BIG FUCKING COWARD_

(09:58) *OMG YACHI SWORE*

(09:59) _HE MADE ME DO IT_

(10:00) **Yachi, no**

(10:00) **I can’t do that**

(10:01) _OF COURSE YOU CAN_

(10:03) _WHAT DO YOU EVEN WANT ME TO TALK ABOUT_

(10:04) * _The weather?*_

(10:05) *pff Kageyama uhfdapisdj*

(10:05) _*Shut up dumbass, I’m trying to help*_

(10:06) _none of you is being helpful AT ALL_

(10:07) _has he uploaded something recently?_

(10:08) _like, a story or a picture?_

(10:08) **No, he hasn’t**

(10:09) *woah, fast answer*

(10:09) _*You’ didn’t have time to check*_

(10:10) _he’s been staring at his profile_

(10:10) **YACHI**

(10:11) *YAMA ARE YOU RED YET*

(10:12) _*Yamaguchi, sorry on behalf of the dumbass*_

(10:13) *YOU’RE THE WORST!!!*

(10:14) *and how did you even know how to spell tht*

(10:14) *smarty pantsss*

(10:15) _YOU TWO SHUT UP_

(10:15) _YAMAGUCHI_

(10:15) _YOU’RE NOT GETTING OUT OF THIS_

(10:16) *scaryyy*

(10:16) _YAMAGUCHI_

(10:17) *YAMAGUCHIIIIII*

(10:18) _*Did he leave the group chat again*_

(10:19) _nope, he’s just avoiding his problems_

***

(16:37) **Yachi**

(16:41) _oh, so now you talk_ 😡

(16:42) _(i’m not actually mad)_

(16:42) _what’s wrong?_

(16:43) **He posted a story**

(16:43) **What do I do**

(16:44) _you look calm with your writing_

(16:44) _but I know you’re panicking_

(16:45) **OF COURSE I AM**

(16:45) **BECAUSE YOU TELL ME I NEED TO TALK TO HIM**

(16:45) **AND I KNOW I HAVE TO IF I WANT SOMETHING**

(16:45) **BUT I FEEL AWKWARD**

(16:46) **I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS**

(16:46) **HOW DO YOU GET TO KNOW SOMEONE**

(16:46) **YACHI, I’M OVERTHINKING TOO MUCH AND MY BRAIN IS TIRED**

(16:47) _SO MANY CAPS_

(16:47) **I want to scream**

(16:48) _okay okay, let’s calm down for a sec_

(16:49) _describe a little what he uploaded_

(16:49) **It’s basically a photo of a giant Monstera**

(16:50) **I’ve never seen one so big before**

(16:51) _that’s what she said_

(16:51) **YACHI**

(16:52) _SORRY I HAD TO_

(16:52) _continue pls_

(16:53) **Well, that’s it**

(16:54) **I mean, it looks like it’s in a high place or something, but you can’t clearly see anything else**

(16:54) **Also, the light is nice**

(16:55) _i mean, you can tell him what you just told me??_

(16:55) _you said it yourself, you’ve never seen one so big (i can’t say this without laughing i’m sorry)_

(16:55) _and say it in a different way to avoid the dirty joke_

(16:56) _or don’t, whatever suits you better_

(16:56) **YACHI OMG**

(16:56) **I’M ONLY GOING TO FORGIVE YOU BECAUSE I’M SURE YOU’RE JUST AS RED AS I AM WHILE WRITING THAT**

(16:57) **YOU CAN’T FOOL ME**

(16:57) _SHUT UPPPP_

(16:58) _still, not a bad plan, right?_

(16:58) **I can’t do this**

(16:59) _of course you can_

(16:59) _listen to me_

(16:59) _or well, read me_

(16:59) _anyway_

(17:00) _what do you even have to lose?_

(17:00) **My dignity?**

(17:01) _i’m ignoring your message_

(17:01) _you don’t actually know the guy_

(17:01) _you’ve never met him_

(17:02) _but you want to and that’s why all of this started_

(17:03) _the worst thing that can happen is that he ignores whatever you end up sending him_

(17:03) _you’re constantly answering my stories_

(17:03) _and i know you answer people you follow if you like what they post_

(17:04) _because that’s how instagram works_

(17:04) _thing is_

(17:04) _if he ignores you, it sucks, but you don’t even know him in person_

(17:05) _so you can literally just forget you ever sent him anything_

(17:05) _and move on_

(17:05) _okay?_

(17:13) _yama?_

***

(17:31) **Yachi**

(17:32) **I did it**

(17:32) **I’m shaking, but I did it**


	4. Stay Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Key:  
> • Tsukishima  
> • Kuroo (underlined)  
> • _Kenma_  
> • *Hinata*

_All these boys and girls are people_

_Waiting for their hearts to beat_

(10:21) So this guy sent me a following request yesterday.

(10:21) _Attached image._

(10:22) Do you know who he is?

(11:19) he’s hinata and kageyama’s friend!!!

(11:20) he cute

(11:20) wait

(11:21) waIT WHY DO YOU ASK

(11:22) I literally told you in the first message.

(11:23) BUT THERE HAS TO BE MORE

(11:23) BECAUSE OTHERWISE YOU’D JUST IGNORE IT AND REJECT IT

(11:24) Why did I even think about asking you, of all people.

(11:25) shut up you know it’s because you love me

(11:25) and because i'm your friend

(11:25) and also because i can get information from kenma

(11:27) Definitely because of the last one.

(11:28) ho ho, so you’re that interested in knowing who he is, hhhmmmmMMMM

(11:28) Okay, nevermind.

(11:29) C’MONNNN, okay, i’ll shut up and ask kenma, just put some effort

(11:30) also, i can see that you followed him 😉😉😉

(11:41) DON’T IGNORE ME OR I WON’T ASK KENMA

(11:46) Just, what do you even want me to say?

(11:46) And my break is over, I’m in class.

(11:47) such a rebel

(11:48) i don’t know man, at least admit you thought he was cute and wanted to know more

(11:53) Well, yes, he was good looking and I wanted to know why he followed me out of nowhere, so what?

(11:55) wait, am i actually right????

(11:55) OMG

(11:56) I THOUGHT YOU JUST DIDN’T SWING

(11:56) OMG

(11:56) I NEED TO TELL BOKUTO RIGHT NOW

(12:03) If you do that, I’m going to fucking kill you.

(12:03) Kuroo?

(12:04) I hate you.

***

(11:59) heyyy, kenma, you know this guy?

(11:59) _Attached image._

(12:01) _Yeah, he’s Yamaguchi. He’s Hinata’s friend from high school. I sometimes eat with them at the cafeteria. Why?_

(12:02) tsukishima asked me

(12:03) _Huh…_

(12:03) I KNOW RIGHT

***

(12:16) _Hinata, any idea why Yamaguchi started following Tsukishima? Kuroo asked me because Tsukishima apparently wanted to know._

(12:25) *OMG CANT BELIEBE THUSI*

(12:25) *OMG YACHIS GONNA SCREAM*

(12:27) _???_

(12:28) *sorry so basically we rwew at our usaual bar yesterday,*

(12:28) *and yama was down bc he feels lonely sometns*

(12:28) *so we wanted himk to find aomeone*

(12:29) _So many typos…_

(12:29) *SORRY*

(12:30) *anyway, we wanted him to find someone*

(12:30) *idk*

(12:30) *someone that he thought was hot*

(12:30) *and he saw his face*

(12:31) *anD OMG HE WAS SO RED*

(12:32) _So many details. Maybe you weren’t supposed to tell me all that._

(12:32) *SHIT*

(12:32) *DIDN’T THIINK ABOUT THAT*

(12:35) _Don’t worry, I’ll ignore part of it when I tell Kuroo._

(12:36) *you’re the best !!!!*

(12:36) *but yeah, we ere hjust talking about it on the groupshcta*

(12:36) *but then he panicked and stopped talking*

(12:37) _What did you do to the poor guy…_

(12:37) *ONTHING I SWEAR*

(12:38) *WE OJUST TOLD HIM HE HAD TO TALK TO HIM*

(12:38) *it was mainly yachi*

(12:38) *BUT I AGREED!!!*

(12:39) *and kageyama was useless but he was ther*

(12:39) *POH SHIT HEN ADJSAUHÑFNMAFS*

(12:41) _He saw you message, right? Anyways, thanks for the info, see you after class._

***

(13:06) _Got way more information than I expected. Apparently, Yamaguchi thought Tsukishima was good looking and his friends made him follow him._

(13:07) _Friends being Hinata, Kageyama and Yachi._

(13:21) and how did he get to his profile??

(13:21) hinata

(13:21) _Hinata_

(13:22) hehe

(13:22) thanks for the info 💕

(13:24) _No problem. You coming home later for dinner?_

(13:25) yes!! we can order something if you wanna!! it’s been ages [😃](https://emojipedia.org/grinning-face-with-big-eyes/)

(13:25) _Sure. I’m in the mood for Chinese food._

(13:26) same!

(13:26) i’ll ask tsukishima later what does he want

(13:26) (he’ll agree with whatever and end up eating like two small bites but it’s worth the try)

(13:27) you ask lev!!!

(13:28) _‘k…_

(13:28) i heard you clicking your tongue from here [🤣](https://emojipedia.org/rolling-on-the-floor-laughing/)

(13:29) you can complain but I know you consider him your friend, can’t lie to your bestie here

(13:30) _He is my friend, but I’m tired and he talks A LOT._

(13:30) you’re eating lunch with the big (lol) tangerine

(13:31) _He doesn’t expect me to answer to what he says._

(13:32) rude, so rude

(13:32) _Anyways, see you at home, Kuroo._

(13:33) yeah yeah, see you

(13:33) and thanks again!

***

(14:56) okay so

(14:56) i have news

(14:57) hinata showed the guy your profile

(14:58) that’s most of it

(17:03) Why would he do that?

(17:12) can’t tell!!

(17:13) What? Why?

(17:13) 😶

(17:14) BUT

(17:14) you should start talking to him!

(17:15) What the fuck.

(17:15) And why would I do that?

(17:16) didn’t you think he was cute

(17:22) Well, yeah, but what about that.

(17:24) if you like him, why not trying to actually know him?

(17:24) I don’t like him.

(17:25) you know what I mean!!

(17:25) I feel awkward.

(17:26) you ARE awkward lol

(17:26) but it’s just a message!!!

(17:26) just send him a hi or something

(17:27) That would be weird.

(17:27) yes, because saying hi is definitely uncommon and weird, who even does that

(17:28) I can’t stand you.

(17:29) baby, don’t hurt me 😥

(17:29) srsly tho, tsukki

(17:30) Don’t call me that.

(17:30) will do

(17:31) you have to send him something!! and then you can talk with him

(17:31) _This message was deleted._

(17:32) Nevermind.

(17:33) don’t “nevermind” me

(17:33) wait

(17:33) WAIT

(17:33) WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT

(17:33) YOU

(17:34) DID HE TEXT YOU

(17:34) DID HE

(17:35) HE DID, DIDN'T HE

(17:37) DAMMIT, TSUKKI

***

**_yamaguchi.t_ ** _answered your story._


	5. Need The Sun To Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Messages without an hour are Instagram direct messages.
> 
> Key:  
> • Tsukishima  
> • Yamaguchi (bold)  
> • Kuroo (underlined)  
> • Bokuto (underlined italics)

_I need the sun to break,_

_You've woken up my heart_

**Woah, I’ve never seen a Monstera so big!!**

**Also, nice picture** **😊**

***

Yamaguchi was still shaking 1 hour after sending the message. It was nothing special, he had commented something that would have commented to anyone he followed, just as Yachi had said. But this time it was not just anyone. He was someone new, someone he wanted to meet, someone he was interested in meeting, in getting to know. After all, he had begun to follow him because of what he had thought, because he was looking for something, although he didn't quite know what. And that made him feel even more insecure. He didn't want to seem desperate, he didn't want to be too direct, but Yachi was right when she said he had to do more than follow him. And despite his shyness, Yamaguchi had never been a coward.

He had been lying in bed all that time looking at the ceiling and not checking for new messages. He was too afraid to look at his phone. Maybe he _was_ a coward, but an impulsive one.

Suddenly, a knock on his door made him get up.

“Coming,” Yamaguchi said. It was rare that any of his roommates needed something. He didn't talk to them much.

“The audacity!” Yachi screamed as soon as he opened his door. He assumed one of his flatmates had opened her the front door, knowing already she was one of his friends.

“What did I do now?” Yamaguchi anxiously asked her.

"Are you serious?" Yachi looked at him puzzled. "Look at the last message you sent me!" She put her phone close to his face, their latest conversation as evidence of what he had done.

“Shit, I’m really sorry.” Yamaguchi looked truly apologetic. He completely forgot about sending Yachi a message. “I’ve literally been lying in bed staring at the ceiling without moving because I am afraid to look at the phone.”

“Are you kidding me? Yama really, I love you, but you are just like me and it's horrible! You have to check if he has answered you!” Yachi was looking directly at Yamaguchi’s phone.

“But what if he hasn't?” Yamaguchi stood in front of her, arms open guessing what she had just thought. After all, she knew his password.

“And what if he has?” Yachi crossed her arms, looking as angry as a face like hers could, with a not really believable frown and a little bit red.

“What if he did but the answer is something saying that I’m pathetic or, I don’t know, that I’m creepy.” Yamaguchi was now walking in circles, hands in his hair making it horribly messy.

“You’re going to run out of "what if" scenarios”.

“Yachi, I’m actually really scared.” Yamaguchi sat down at the edge of his bed, resting his elbows on his knees, head down and rubbing his hands nervously.

“I know.” Yachi sighed and smiled a little, trying to comfort her friend. She sat down beside him and put an arm around his waist, leaning her head in his shoulder. “Check your notifications. Find out if you actually have any messages. Do it for you, and remember I'm here, whatever happens. And so are Hinata and Kageyama, in their own way.”

Yamaguchi leaned his head on Yachi’s, appreciating the comfort. He broke the contact to get his phone from the bedside table and sat down again in the same place. He held the phone a few seconds before unlocking it. He looked at Yachi, she nodded and he went for it.

_I’m doing something now._

—

It is.

It’s been growing really nicely.

And the warm weather we’ve been having lately has been helping a lot.

I’m Tsukishima, by the way (quite obvious, username and all, but still felt like introducing myself).

—

“Yachi,” Yamaguchi finally said after looking at his phone for longer than he wanted to admit. “I'm going to cry, what do I do now.”

“What happened?” Now Yachi was the one worrying. Yamaguchi was not being clear at all. “Has he not answered?”

“No, he has answered me, and he is giving me conversation!” Yamaguchi responded, even more panicked than before.

“I’m going to kill you, oh my God!” Yachi slapped his arm, but she was relieved. “I thought you were saying it because you were sad! And the one who was panicking now was me in case I had forced you to do something like that, and in the end it went wrong and look really, I can't deal with you, why are you like this and why am I like this.”

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but what do I do.” Yamaguchi being that red was starting to be quite usual.

“For starters, show me what did he send,” Yachi answered.

“Okay,” Yachi started to say as Yamaguchi showed her the messages. “He’s definitely giving enough to have a conversation. Maybe you could start by sending your name? I mean, he introduced himself. He seems like a serious guy,” Yachi thought out loud that last part.

“Yeah, okay, that’s good, I guess,” Yamaguchi said, and started typing.

—

**Yamaguchi!**

—

“What else do I write? Yachi, how do I keep going?” Yamaguchi said, grabbing her shoulders and looking like a wild animal upon being hit by a car. “I’m a mess, what do I even talk about.”

“For not knowing how to maintain conversations, you talk an awfully lot,” Yachi answered laughing. “You want to know what to do? Just be yourself, Yama. Answer the way you would answer me, talk normally and it will be fine. You already took the first steps, and the guy is following, so go for it Yama!”

“Your faith in me never fails to amaze me,” Yamaguchi sighed.

“I mean, we’re quite similar and I got an awesome girlfriend, so now it’s your turn to get an awesome boyfriend,” Yachi made a thumbs up sign and Yamaguchi finally laughed, relieving some of the stress. “But now I have to go because said girlfriend and I have a date in like 10 minutes, but first I wanted to punch you for ignoring me.”

“I don’t know if you’re the best or the worst,” Yamaguchi said. “I actually need to do this myself, right?”

“Yepp. Good luck,” Yachi answered, as she hugged him.

Yamaguchi sent her goodbye and went back to his room. He closed the door and sat in his bed, back leaning on the wall and phone on hand, ready to keep this “doing something” thing he somehow has gotten into.

***

GROUP CHAT: two go and the middle one falls

Participants: Bokuto, Kuroo and Tsukishima

(19:16) He answered me.

(19:19) _ho ho, who answered you!!_

(19:20) Shit, wrong conversation.

(19:20) _too late!! what you talkin about!! tell me!!_

(19:21) tsukki likes someoneeeee

(19:21) AND I WAS HERE WAITING FOR AN ANSWER YOU ASSHOLE

(19:21) _NO WAY_

(19:22) _OUR BABY IS NOW A GROWN UP_

(19:22) we raised him well

(19:23) Why do I keep talking to you.

(19:24) _a name a name, we want a name!_

(19:24) i know a name hehe

(19:24) _KUROO, HOW DARE YOU_

(19:25) I’ll tell you myself if you both stop bothering me.

(19:25) _shh_

(19:25) 😶

(19:26) Yamaguchi.

(19:27) _wait, isn’t he hinata’s frind_

(19:27) Do you know him?

(19:28) _yeah! super nice guy, but really shy and didn’t talk much to me_

(19:28) bokuto, you make conversations monologues

(19:29) _that’s not true!! ask akaashi!!!_

(19:29) yeah, because he talks SO MUCH

(19:30) _:(_

(19:30) baby it’s a joke, i’d never insult your boyfriend

(19:30) Did you guys get together?

(19:31) _what do you mean? we’re always together!_

(19:31) False alarm.

(19:32) as clueless as ever hehe

(19:32) _???_

(19:33) Anyways, as always, I don’t know why I thought about asking for advice.

(19:34) Bye.

(19:35) _:(_

(19:35) double :(

***

If you don’t mind me asking, how did you know it was a Monstera?

You even put the capital letter, which people usually don’t.

 **Oh, I’m just really into gardening! I like to do a bit of research on certain species, so I know how to write scientific names** **😊**

**And I love leaf plants, I prefer them rather than the flower ones, so I remember most of their names!**

I have to agree on your preferences, too.

**Are you into gardening too?**

Not really.

I major in Biology and Botany classes are mandatory, so I actually have to remember a lot of classifications and I end up remembering some species.

Not the reason for joining this degree, but so far I’m quite enjoying the module, though.

**Woah, that’s really cool!**

**Why did you join Biology, if you don’t mind me asking?**

Not at all.

I really like palaeontology and I want to specialise in it.

 **I get it, you like dinosaurs** **😋**

Caught.

**I don’t know anything about them, but they look really interesting!**

**I wished I enjoyed my major**

What do you do?

**I’m in Business school**

**To be honest, I just got into it because I wanted to get a job**

**Kinda lame but that’s the way it is**

It’s not lame.

I mean, I joined Biology because I like dinosaurs, which is the stupidest of reasons, but that’s the way it is, too.

You want to get a job, we all want. It’s understandable.

 **Thanks for that** **😊**

**And it’s not stupid at all doing something you like!!**

Thanks :)

***

Hinata saw my phone and he told me to ask you if you were still up for tonight.

(I saw that you have a lot of pictures with both him and Kageyama, so I’m assuming you’re good friends.)

**Haha, tell him that yeah, tonight’s meeting is still up!**

**(And don’t worry, I followed you through him so you assumed well** **😊** **)**

***

**▷** **Photo** **.** _The main focus of the picture is a small wall shelf. It has several pots with small succulent plants, all of them more or less the same size._

**I propagated them myself!**

**Succulents were the only thing I could bring when I moved here because they’re easy to move around.**

No one can kill a succulent, so I get it.

**Ask Kageyama…**

That idiot…

How did he even managed?

**Milk.**

You’re kidding.

**Nope**

**He watered one with milk**

**Said it makes you grow**

**So why wouldn’t it make plants grow, too**

I’m speechless.

How are you even friends with him.

**He’s actually nice to have around!**

**Moody and dumb, but he’s actually a good person and he’s really caring**

Haven’t seen that in almost two years.

**Well, you have to give him an opportunity first**

Sorry.

 **Oh no, don’t worry! I’m not bothered** **😊**

***

(21:23) Kuroo, I think I fucked up.

(21:29) lev owns me money

(21:31) What?

(21:32) i bet against you, i was sure you were gonna fuck up in less than 24 hours

(21:32) First, why did you tell Lev anything. Second, asshole.

(21:33) well, i was not wrong, now tell me what did you do

(21:34) I insulted Kageyama and I think he’s mad.

(21:35) woah, you guys have been talking only for a day and you already showed your true nature hmm

(21:47) i’m kidding, sorry ☹

(21:48) did he tell you so or…??

(21:49) No, he told me it was fine.

(21:49) then how did you fuck up?? why are you assuming he’s lying??

(21:50) I mean, I said something bad about his friend.

(21:51) if they’re his friends, i’m sure he’s said worse

(21:51) let me see the convo

(21:52) _Attached image._

(21:52) nah, you’re fine, seriously

(21:52) and you only said he was idiot, really

(21:53) And how do I keep the conversation going?

(21:53) he sent you a picture before so you can send him one too ??

(21:53) or you can answer his story if he has uploaded anything

(21:54) Okay, thank you.

(21:54) Why are you being so kind right now and actually not mocking me?

(21:55) i’m always this kind

(22:06) tsukishima stop ignoring me whenever it’s convenient!!

***

**Your Story**. _The picture shows Hinata, Kageyama and Yachi smiling and doing peace signs. They’re in a bar, sitting at a table with some drinks in front of them. It’s a little bit dark and there’s not a lot of people in the background. There’s a small text int the bottom right corner saying “back at it”._

tsukishimakei answered your story.

Have fun.

**Thanks!**

**Hinata and Kageyama say hi, by the way**

Much to my regret, say hi on my behalf.

**Such a drama queen lol**

***

▷ Photo. _There is a greenhouse on the left side of the photo and, on the right, some metal shelves with different plants, too small to distinguish them well. At the end of the right side, there’s a familiar plant, and there is a drawn arrow pointing at it._

This is the botanical garden where I took the picture.

And that there is the famous Monstera.

**Woah, that looks beautiful!**

**Where is that?**

It’s in the Biology faculty, in the rooftop.

(I’m guessing we both go to the same college.)

**I didn’t know you guys had your own botanical garden, that’s so cool!**

**(Once again, your guess is right!)**

You can go there as long as you’re a student.

**I’ll have to check it out at some point then!!**

***

Yamaguchi left his pone on the left of the table and focused his attention back to his laptop. He had an essay to write and all his thoughts were focusing in the last week of conversations with Tsukishima. They didn’t have long conversations, all of their interactions were relatively short, but they were constantly happening, and a week felt longer than it actually was. This was new and Yamaguchi was a little bit scared, but somehow it felt natural for him to talk with Tsukishima.

He clung to the small details he was getting from the photos he sent him, from their shared irrelevant yet precious facts about each other and from his apparently always ironic personality. Words were starting to get tattooed in his memory and the pictures were hanging in frames in the walls of his mind. It was rare to want to hold on to a person he was only getting to know, but somehow technology had discovered a path in the middle of the maze he had entered without knowing the emergency number. And he was just following it, for the first time, without thinking that much about it.

He thought of crows in a field of wheat, roaming at ease until a very loud noise scared them away, making them fly in search of a new tranquillity. And he thought that right now, he was the small crow that didn’t listen to that sound, or that didn’t want to listen it, and that had decided to stay there because he liked this place more than any other.

Yamaguchi grabbed once again his phone, promising himself this was going to be the last time he did so, and that he would start working again as soon as he checked the notifications.

***

Hey, do you want to grab lunch with me and some friends someday this week?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it was clear, but just in case, they have these conversations at random moments because I feel like that's the natural way to talk when you haven't really met someone. You don't go full long conversation mode with random people, even if they're acquaintances!


	6. Dynamite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Key:  
> • Tsukishima  
> • Yamaguchi (bold)

_And I feel as if my whole life_

_Had been driving me to this very moment_

Exchanging photos, comments and constant conversations with Yamaguchi had been the most unexpected thing that could have happened to him and, at the same time, the most endearing. His way of meeting him had been unexpected and, from Kuroo's comments, he could imagine that not as random as one might imagine (Tsukishima was not as dense as Kuroo thought, but it was not going to give him the satisfaction of realizing it). Still, he was aware that there was no catch in what was happening between him and Yamaguchi. Or well, more precisely, to what was flourishing in Tsukishima. It was a strange feeling, uncomfortable with novelty, but at the same time, pleasant, and it was getting bigger, more imposing, brighter. And because of that, Tsukishima was beginning to need more than just words and pictures. He needed all the strangeness that climbed inside him to begin to know the outside world. He wanted to meet Yamaguchi.

***

He had been eating with Akaashi and Kuroo in his own faculty cafeteria, Bokuto absent due to an exam review in which he intended to scratch enough points to pass. The conversation between the 3 of them was not as loud as it usually was when Bokuto was there. After all, Kenma was Kuroo's best friend and if the two of them had been friends for so long, it was for a reason. Kuroo knew how to read the mood perfectly, always adjusting to the crowd that surrounded him, changing slightly the way he talked, not wanting to make people uncomfortable around him, which was the main reason why Tsukishima actually considered the guy his friend. But that way of being would never make him neglect his ability to drive Tsukishima crazy.

“So, when are we going to meet Yamaguchi?” Kuroo said as he stuffed his mouth with the chicken burger he just took from the counter.

“I hope, given that I’m the one talking to him, that I do it sooner than you do,” Tsukishima replied, unpacking the small sandwich he made for himself that morning.

“You can invite him to have lunch with us,” Akaashi suggested, and Tsukishima thought that it was actually a good idea.

Tsukishima didn’t know what he expected from Yamaguchi, but right now, if he had to describe it in just one word, it would be safety. As soon as they started talking, their conversations started naturally, topics coming up easily without much thought. The doubts he’d had a week ago had disappeared in hours, feeling extremely comfortable with every interaction he had with Yamaguchi. He had turned out to be a really funny person, able to keep up with him and his complicated personality, which sometimes would come up unintentionally. He had been thinking about a way to casually meet, something that wasn’t awkward and that felt nice, and burying the words “first date” deep down in his mind. They were becoming friends, even if Tsukishima wanted to test deeper waters, and that’s why Akaashi’s idea was actually a pretty good one.

“Yeah, that’s actually a good idea,” Tsukishima answered. “If you’re fine with that.”

“Of course! Oh my God, we’re meeting Yamaguchi! I have to tell Bokuto right now, he’s gonna be so annoyed that he missed this moment,” Kuroo grinned excitedly, which made Tsukishima roll his eyes and Akaashi to smile a little.

“I’m already regretting involving you,” Tsukishima said, not even looking at Kuroo’s eyes, as he proceeded to grab his phone and start typing.

“If you’re going to be rude at least have the decency to look at me!” He barely registered Kuroo’s complain in the background.

—

Hey, do you want to grab lunch with me and some friends someday this week?

**That would nice! What about Thursday?**

Good for me.

 **It’s settled then** **😊**

We usually go to the central cafeteria, close to the rector's building. Do you know where it is?

**Yepp, I go there sometimes, so that’s fine!**

**Hmm, would it be okay if we exchanged numbers?**

**I mean, in case we miss each other, we can call or something…**

Yeah you’re right. Here’s mine: xxxxxxxxx

—

“Akaashi, Tsukishima is smiling, take a photo so I can frame it and put it on my bedside table for good luck,” Tsukishima heard Kuroo, but he was not really paying attention. He was about to get Yamaguchi’s number and that was kind of shocking for him.

“You shouldn’t push your luck when a comeback can come quite easily,” Akaashi said.

“What do you mean?” Tsukishima removed his eyes from his phone at Kuroo’s answer just to find a really confused expression in Kuroo’s face and a mischievous smile in Akaashi’s.

“Who knows,” Akaashi answered before sipping some water from his bottle.

—

(14:15) **Hey! It’s Yamaguchi!**

(14:15) Hi :)

(14:16) **It’s really weird to see your face in a profile picture**

(14:16) So forward.

(14:17) **Sorry, Tsukki!**

(14:17) It’s fine.

(14:17) Also, “Tsukki”?

(14:18) **Upps, it slipped**

(14:18) **Is it alright if I call you that?**

(14:18) Yeah, no problem. I was surprised, that's all.

(14:19) Anyways, we usually meet at 1pm for lunch.

(14:20) **Perfect! I finish classes at 12 on Thursdays, so I’ll just go to the library and work a little until then** **💪**

—

***

Three days have passed since that, and now Tsukishima was waiting nervously at the entrance of the cafeteria. The day was a bit chilly, some clouds warning passers-by to be ready for some rain, but they were still waiting for the perfect moment and drops were still to fall.

The cafeteria usually got quite crowded, so Kuroo, Bokuto and Akaashi decided to go inside to grab a spot, and to let Tsukishima some alone time with Yamaguchi. Tsukishima was grateful for that. He couldn't take another second of Kuroo and Bokuto teasing him and making fun of how he looked nervous. Even if they were right. Tsukishima was on his nerves and the drum that sounded impatient through his headphones was a lot like the tapping on his chest.

Suddenly he spotted a familiar face approaching him. He still hadn’t seen him, but Tsukishima was kind of scared of how fast he recognised Yamaguchi.

From afar he could see his slightly tanned complexion, his searching gaze and his slightly windblown hair. He was wearing a dark green sweatshirt and tight black jeans that were rolled up a little. He walked like fire, nervous, expectant, a reflection way too accurate of what Tsukishima was feeling. He felt as if every emotion was happening at once inside him. He was scared of it, but he removed his headphones and started walking towards Yamaguchi. After a few seconds, Yamaguchi noticed that someone was approaching him and fixed his gaze on Tsukishima's eyes. Tsukishima felt how every corner of his body lit up with the smile Yamaguchi gave him, accompanied by the brilliance of his hazel irises and the inner light of those beautiful freckles he had been thinking of since the day he followed Yamaguchi.

“Please, tell me you’re Tsukishima and that I did not just smile like an idiot to a stranger,” were the first words that he said, making Tsukishima chuckle.

“Who knows,” he answered, smirking a little.

“Hey!” he hit him softly in his arm.

“Just kidding,” Tsukishima could feel how his cheeks hurt from holding the smile that seemed to be etched on his face Yamaguchi. “Yamaguchi then, right?”

“Yepp,” he thought for a second. “This is really weird and I’m nervous, so sorry if I start talking nonstop. I’ve never done this. This meaning, making online friends and then meeting and so,” he was blabbering, but Tsukishima thought it was cute. _Stop_.

“You really say everything you think, don’t you?” Tsukishima asked, this time letting the smile fully cover his face.

“Almost,” Yamaguchi answered, touching the back of his head, kind of embarrassed. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. That’s a good thing to do,” Tsukishima answered, and he could tell that Yamaguchi felt kind of relieved. _He’s like an open book_. “My friends are waiting inside. I think you’ve already met Bokuto.”

“Yes!” he answered as they walked towards the door. “And I know the rest by sight, which makes me feel a little more at ease. Besides, I also have you.” Yamaguchi didn’t realize, but those words almost make Tsukishima trip on.

“Let’s go inside,” he said instead, stoic face hiding embarrassment.

As Tsukishima had anticipated, the cafeteria was full, but luckily, most of the people had already ordered the food and sat down, so both he and Yamaguchi were able to go to the counter to order. While they waited for their food, Tsukishima looked around for his friends until he saw them at one of the tables in the back, next to one of the windows.

“It's full, huh?” Yamaguchi said, looking at the noisy tables.

“That's why I told them to grab a seat beforehand,” Tsukishima replied, pointing at the table were Kuroo, Bokuto and Akaashi were sitting, still unaware of both of them.

“By the way,” Tsukishima remembered, “how is the essay you were working on going?”

“To be honest? Terribly bad,” Yamaguchi sighed. “Whenever I remember myself that I have to keep writing, my brain decides that it doesn't want to work anymore.”

“Sorry for that,” Tsukishima felt a little bit bad. He didn’t usually struggle with essays, and he would like to help him somehow, but he had no idea what the topic was even about. Their majors were way too different.

“Nah, it's fine, I’ll end up finishing it somehow, but it frustrates me.”

“I don't usually have much trouble writing, but I kind of feel like that whenever a group project comes up” Tsukishima said.

“You don't like them?” Yamaguchi asked, curious.

“More than not liking them, it’s that everyone works differently and coordinating more than two people is tedious and I don't like it.”

“Woah, harsh,” Yamaguchi chuckled at Tsukishima’s honesty. “But I get what you’re saying. I haven’t really had any group projects so far in university, but I've had to work in high school with Hinata and Kageyama in some projects and let me tell you, I love them but I can't deal with them when it comes to that kind of thing. Gladly, I've always had Yachi. She’s amazing and super easy to work with,” Yamaguchi smiled as soon as he mentioned her. It was not the first time he talked about her, and it was obvious what a beautiful friendship they had.

“Of course those two would be difficult,” Tsukishima rolled his eyes. “Yachi is your best friend, right?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Yamaguchi replied happily. “She's awesome. I'm lucky to have her in my life. Do you have any best friends?”

“Not really, no,” Tsukishima answered, fidgeting a little. “Our orders are here,” he said, changing the topic completely, and Yamaguchi didn’t push it, which made Tsukishima feel warm for his understanding response.

They took their respective meals, a ham and cheese sandwich with chips for Yamaguchi and a simple salad for Tsukishima. Tsukishima stepped forward slightly to direct Yamaguchi to where his friends were. He was scared that they were going to tease them both. He was used to that directed to him, but he didn’t want Yamaguchi to feel uncomfortable, so he went there first. And of course, as soon as they approached the table, his fears came true.

“Well, well, well so you are Yamaguchi,” Kuroo said, big and not at all innocent smile plastered on his face, and ignoring Tsukishima's fulminant look. Yamaguchi couldn’t see him, since he was behind Tsukishima, so Kuroo pretended not to notice and kept talking. “Our friend here has told us a lot about you, nice to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you too…” Yamaguchi replied in a voice much softer than the one he had spoken to Tsukishima a few seconds ago. Tsukishima turned to look at Yamaguchi and found a completely red face, which surprised him. He couldn't have imagined him blushing so easily. And he didn't know how to feel about it. _What’s happening to me_.

"Hey, hey, hey! So you're the famous Yamaguchi,” Bokuto interrupted a type of shame for another.

“Hello, I’m Akaashi, nice to meet you”, _bless normal friends_. They both sat down next to one another, filling the empty seats that the group saved for them.

“Nice to meet you all,” Yamaguchi said once they settled, his red face slightly going back to his normal tone.

“You two are the worst”, Tsukishima stated loud and clear, looking at Kuroo and Bokuto.

“Eehhh,” Kuroo gasped. “You’re really hurting my feelings,” he said in a dramatic voice.

“Look at what you’ve done,” Bokuto accompanied, shaking his head and patting Kuroo in his back.

“You all seem get along well,” Yamaguchi said, giggling. Tsukishima almost dropped his fork.

“I like the guy,” Bokuto told Kuroo without bothering to be subtle about his statement.

“Those kind of things are not supposed to be said in front of the person in question,” Akaashi told him, and Bokuto started to blush, embarrassed. However, Akaashi smiled at him, letting him know it was not a big deal.

“Anyways, what do you study,” Kuroo asked Yamaguchi, ignoring the two not-lovebirds.

“Is this an interview?” Tsukishima asked back.

“Yeah, if you want to call it that,” Kuroo smirked at him and redirected his eyes to Yamaguchi.

“I don't want to know what you mean,” Tsukishima sighed, and Yamaguchi chuckled a little at that, which made Tsukishima look at him and smile a little.

After that, the conversation flowed easily. Yamaguchi answered with patience the third grade that Kuroo was subjecting him to, while Bokuto helped and Akaashi intervened when they both got ahead of themselves. Tsukishima didn’t speak much, but listened attentively to everything that they said. He already knew most of the things Yamaguchi answered, but Tsukishima liked to hear him say it, rather than read it. Seeing Yamaguchi like this, in flesh and blood, made the dynamite already on his stomach launch flares that only made him warm inside more and more with each pronounced word.

“Are you really going to eat those,” Tsukishima asked when he saw he was eating some soggy fries he first thought he was just going to leave.

“Yepp, they’re my favourites, the best for the last,” he said happily, putting one in his mouth.

“Nobody’s perfect,” Bokuto closed his eyes and raised his fist.

“Such an inspirational quote,” Kuroo imitated Bokuto’s pose

“Tsukishima, remind me why are we friends with them,” Akaashi deadpanned.

***

When they finished eating, they left their trays in the designated area and went outside, the sunlight polarized by the clouds and forcing their eyes to adjust to the light change. Suddenly, Yamaguchi made a weird expression and Tsukishima worried a little.

"Wait! Tsukki, I left my bag inside," Yamaguchi exclaimed, relieving Tsukishima. Thefts on campus were rare, so he would surely find it wherever he left it.

“Oh okay, I'll wait here,” Tsukishima replied, and Yamaguchi rushed back inside.

"Tsukki?” Kuroo looked in shock at Tsukishima.

“You let him call you Tsukki?!” Bokuto exclaimed, indignant.

“And you didn’t complain!” Kuroo almost screamed, which won him a killing look from Tsukishima. “You got it bad,” Kuroo, put his arm around Tsukishima’s shoulders.

“Please, just shut up,” Tsukishima said, between defeated and ashamed.

Yamaguchi chose that moment to reappear.

"I left it under the table, and completely forgot about it,” Yamaguchi apologized, backpack in hand and completely unaware of what was going on.

"Don't worry, they don't usually steal here,” Akaashi said, and Yamaguchi nodded and gave him a brief smile.

"I forgot the keyboard of my tablet in class once and someone left it in the lost-and-found box,” Kuroo said, removing his arm from Tsukishima and adopting a thinking pose.

“I left the phone in the bathroom sink and same thing happened,” Bokuto nodded in agreement.

“You two need to pay more attention,” Akaashi sighed. “Anyways, the three of us have class now, so we have to go.”

“Yepp!” Bokuto exclaimed. “See you later in training, Tsukki,” he waved, sticking his tongue. Tsukishima used more force than he had to hold the urge to yell at him.

“Again, nice to meet you, Yamaguchi!” Kuroo waved goodbye too, following Bokuto.

"Same,” Yamaguchi smiled politely.

“Goodbye,” Akaashi said, being the last one to go.

The two stayed in silence until the group faded into the distance. Tsukishima appreciated that silence, which, for some reason, was not uncomfortable, considering that it had only been a few hours since he had met Yamaguchi in person. He looked at him discretely and saw that his gaze was lost, but his expression was calm, so Tsukishima thought that he surely felt comfortable, too. A comfort so easily shared and so rare to find, he didn't want it to go away, and suddenly an idea occurred to him.

"Hey, you still have time, right?” he asked, and Yamaguchi looked at him, curious. With the outside light he was able to appreciate his freckles once more. _This is becoming an obsession_.

“Yes, I'm done for the day, why?”

“Do you want to go to the botanical garden that I told you about?” Tsukishima suggested, fidgeting nervous.

"Yes! Yes! Definitely!” Yamaguchi raised his voice excitedly, grabbing Tsukishima by the shoulders and not noticing how the physical contact made him feel. He was not one to initiate it, but he was not bothered when other people did it. And definitely _not_ when Yamaguchi did it.

“You look like a little kid,” Tsukishima snickered, not even trying to hide how happy he was.

“Hehe, sorry, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi replied, smiling big and bright.

***

Your Story. _The picture shows the inside of a greenhouse, not very well lit because of the cloudy sky. In the middle of it, Yamaguchi is backwards, head slightly up looking at the hanging terrariums. yamaguchi.t is tagged in the picture._

***

**Your story**. _On the left side of the photo there’s a metal shelf filled with plants and on the right side, Tsukishima is focused on taking a close-up photo of one of the plants. There’s a text in the up left corner that says “biologists in their natural habitat”. tsukishimakei is tagged in the picture._

***

As soon as they said goodbye it started to rain, as if the clouds had waited for them to part ways. Tsukishima did not run, but his feet advanced lightly towards the dorms and let the rain cool his head with every step.

It had been a little awkward at times, but the naturalness with which they had spoken and how comfortable it had been to have met for the first time had left him with a sea of unknown feelings, and thinking was starting to become habit.

As soon as he got to the flat, no one greeted him, so he assumed he was alone, which allowed him to breathe a little. It was enough to speak with the voice in his head. He went into his room, put down his backpack and took clothes from the wardrobe to change. He went into the bathroom and let the water run while he removed his soaked clothes. As soon as the water started to come out hot, he got into the shower and closed the screen.

He placed himself under the stream of water and closed his eyes, letting the water wash away his fears. He didn't want to open his eyes again and realize that it had all been a dream. He didn’t want it all to disappear with a pinch. Each detail he discovered about Yamaguchi pulled a little more up from the corner of his lips. The novelty was giving way to familiarity, and that familiarity was giving way to the beating of a heart that he used to forget what it sounded like. But not anymore.

***

(17:56) **Hey, just wanted to say that today I had a lot of fun!**

(21:31) Yeah, me too.

(21:31) Did you like the botanical garden? You looked excited.

(21:43) **Yes! I loved it. I thought it was obvious** **😋**

(21:45) Just wanted to make sure.

(21:46) Let’s meet again soon.

(21:46) **I would like to see you again soon!**

(21:47) **😊**

(21:47) :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song at the beginning is actually in Spanish and it’s called “Dinamita”. Here’s the link if anyone wants to listen to it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6gnjPckBhY  
> 


	7. Where We Land

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Key:  
> • Tsukishima  
> • Yamaguchi (bold)

_So let's freefall_

_And see where we land_

The botanical garden had been beautiful. The light hadn’t been the best, with the clouds filtering the sun and spreading the extra brightness across the city. However, Yamaguchi could easily appreciate the beauty that he had had before his eyes. Greens of a multitude of shades everywhere, different plants scattered on the shelves and Tsukishima in contrast to the monochrome palette. He had also finally seen the famous _Monstera_ which had, in a way, allowed Tsukishima and Yamaguchi’s steps to cross.

He couldn't help but text him after their encounter (he had to run away from the word “date” or his head would explode), and now, several days later, he was still thinking about what excuse to put up to meet him again. Tsukishima had not brought it up again, and Yamaguchi thought that maybe, somehow, "it was up to him".

He got up from the chair in the room and began to circle the small space, thinking. At one point he saw his reflection in the wardrobe mirror and, suddenly, he picked up his phone and got into Tsukishima's Instagram profile, vaguely remembering the caption of one of the photos.

_Attention, I have been murdered_

The quote was familiar, and he knew it had to be from a show or movie, but he had to look it up to be sure. When he found it, he saw it was from _The Good Place_. He had been wanting to watch the show for a while, but he was not sure how to bring it up without, once again, looking like the social media stalker he was kind of becoming.

—

(12:31) **Hi! Do you have any plans for today?**

(12:39) Not really, why?

(12:41) **Do you want to come to my place and marathon a show?**

(12:42) Yeah, why not.

(12:43) Which one were you thinking about?

(12:43) **I’ve been wanting to start The Good Place for a while!**

(12:44) You’ve seen the caption.

(12:44) **What?**

(12:45) I only have one photo with a quote in my entire profile and it’s from The Good Place.

(12:46) **Hehe, caught. It seems like my stalking skills are not that great** **😳**

(12:47) **But it’s true that I’ve been wanting to watch it for a while! I swear!**

(12:47) **And I didn’t know which shows or movies you liked so I wanted to pick something you’d enjoy, too** **😅**

(12:48) But you do realize that I’ve already watched it, right?

(12:49) **Shit**

(12:49) :)

(12:50) It’s fine, though, I don’t mind watching it again. It’s been some time. When do you want to meet?

(12:51) **8pm? We can order pizza for dinner!**

(12:52) Okay. See you tonight, then.

(12:52) **See you!!** **😊**

—

Apparently, Yamaguchi hadn’t been as sneaky as he had expected, but somehow it still had gone well and Tsukishima hadn’t seem bothered, so he counted their conversation as a win. And luckily, he didn’t have time to freak out because he was meeting with Hinata and Kageyama for lunch today, and he was already tight on time.

***

The day was pretty nice, so Hinata suggested going out to eat on the grass, and both Yamaguchi and Kageyama agreed. There was an area on campus with a couple of food trucks that usually opened when the weather was good. They went there, bought their food and looked for a place to sit down. They used their jackets as a towel.

“It’s such a nice day. I wished everyday was like this!” Hinata said happily, mouth full of food.

“I’d rather not have to deal with climate change, but okay,” Yamaguchi said, but laughed.

“Anyways, you said you had something to tell us. What was it?” Hinata asked.

“So, you guys remember how a few days ago I met with Tsukki for the first time?” Kageyama and Hinata nodded, so he continued. “I told you it was great, and I was happy because he said he wanted us to see each other again soon, but he was not bringing up the topic, so I was nervous because, what if he didn’t really want to meet me again? I thought that he did, but maybe it was only my wishful thinking.”

“You’re acting like Yachi,” Kageyama pointed, as if Yamaguchi didn’t already know he was rambling.

“Thanks, Kageyama. Anyways, the thing is that a few hours ago, I asked him if he wanted to come to my place to watch The Good Place, and he said yes?”

“Yamaguchi, oh my God, that’s amazing!” Hinata screamed, hugging Yamaguchi and almost dropping his food. Yamaguchi laughed and saw that Kageyama was actually smiling at him. He really loved his friends.

“Thanks, Hinata. But now I’m really nervous because we’re going to be alone together for the first time. Last time we were, too, but most of the time we were with his friends. And I don’t know if it’s going to be as comfortable as it was last time.”

“Hmm, I don’t really know what to tell you because I’m not good at giving advice. But just be yourself? I mean, you guys have been talking for more than a month and you’ve met already! I’m sure everything’s going to be fine,” Hinata said, putting his hand on Yamaguchi’s shoulder.

“And the difficult part is Tsukishima wanting to spend time with people, and you’re obviously past that because he already wants to spend time with you,” Kageyama added.

“I guess, right? Like, that’s what I feel, at least, if I don’t let my insecurities tell me otherwise.”

“He asks us about you sometimes, so you really don’t have to worry” Hinata stated, and Kageyama put his hand on his mouth.

“Hinata idiot, you’re not supposed to say that!”

“I’m not?”

“Does he?” Yamaguchi said, really softly, cheeks burning.

“He does! He does!” Hinata screamed, removing his boyfriend’s hand from his mouth.

“Hinata shut up or he’ll kill us!”

Yamaguchi cracked up. He would never have imagined that he would have friends like Hinata and Kageyama, and although their personalities diverged a lot from his, he couldn't be happier to have them in his life. Friendships were kind of magical. They were like walking through a forest. It’s kind of scary when you first enter, the trees are huge and it’s dark. You walk and walk, and as you go deeper into the woods, your senses get overwhelmed by the amount of sounds, the silhouettes of unknown creatures and the lack of light. But, all of a sudden, you find a path. It’s barely visible, but it’s there. You start walking through it and you realize that every loud noise and every frightening figure were just the way to earn the forest trust. And that the light was always there, but you had your eyes closed.

***

As soon as they finished, Yamaguchi went straight home. He knew Tsukishima still had some classes and the volleyball practice, so he had some time to kill.

He felt like an outsider in his own life. It felt like he was watching one of those movies that you are recommended often, and that you seem to never find the moment to watch it. Day after day you think about it, but you never save some time for it. Until one day, out of the blue, they put that movie on television, you sit down to watch it and you realize that your life is a bit too similar to that of the secondary character and, even in the background, you see yourself reflected during hours. Yamaguchi felt a bit like that, like a viewer looking at a character other than the protagonist. When had he ever done anything like this? When had he ever felt brave enough to just pay attention to his feelings instead of ignoring them, burying them somewhere between his heart and his head? When had he ever taken the first step towards the door he had always been too afraid to open?

He didn’t have time to conclude his thoughts because suddenly, the door rang. He went downstairs after checking the hour. He wasn’t expecting any package and his flatmates had their own keys. Besides, they were out of town, so it definitely wasn’t any of them. Regardless, he opened the door.

“Hi,” Tsukishima said from the other side.

“H-Hi! You’re here early,” Yamaguchi stuttered a bit. _What is he doing here, it’s not even 6pm?!_

“Well, I skipped practice,” Tsukishima rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact with Yamaguchi. He had never seen act so shy.

“Y-you didn’t have to!”

“Well, I was kind of forced by everyone in the team to do so. And I didn’t really complain about it either,” Yamaguchi could feel his cheeks redden rapidly. He tried to ignore it and act normal and totally not startled.

“Okay, come in, come in, leave your shoes over there”, he turned around and fanned his face with his hand, trying to lower the temperature of his face.

“Where do I put my jacket?” Tsukishima asked.

“Just leave it somewhere in the hall. I’ll show you the house!”

The house was not very big, but for a bunch of students who lived mainly in their room, it was quite good. They had an entrance with a shoe cabinet and several coat racks. Going up the small step that separated the entrance from the rest of the house, there was a fairly large kitchen to the right. It had a table in the middle and the rest of the furniture stuck to the wall. Each cabinet was labelled with the name of the person who used it. For the rest, it was a kitchen like any other. To the left there was the living room, which consisted of a television, a sofa, an armchair and a small table in the middle of it all. But the special thing was that, behind the television, there was a large window that took up almost the entire wall. Beneath it, there was an embedded sofa-type structure that allowed you to lie down to look out the window. It was Yamaguchi's favorite place.

Going straight ahead, there was a door that led to the bathroom and stairs that led to the top floor, where the bedrooms were. Yamaguchi's room was the one in the far right.

“And this is my room! It's small, but it’s comfortable and cheap, so I can’t complain.”

“And those are the succulents,” Tsukishima said pointing at the shelf in the wall.

“And those are the succulents! I don't really know how, but it's the first time I've managed to make them survive this long, not going to lie.”

“It probably is because they have the perfect amount of light there. Most times it’s not the irrigation that kills them, but the excess or lack of light,”.

“You sound like a gardening book,” Yamaguchi snickered.

“Ha ha,” Tsukishima laughed dryly, but he didn’t actually sound bothered.

“Just kidding, just kidding. Well, that's all I had to show you. I really don't know what can we do now because I was expecting you at 8, but if you want, we can start the show already! And in an hour or so, we can order dinner!”

“Seems right,” Tsukishima smiled, and Yamaguchi smiled back.

They went downstairs and Tsukishima sat down in the sofa while Yamaguchi closed the curtains and turned on the TV. He pressed play and sat down next to Tsukishima.

They watched a few episodes and paused a few minutes to order pizza, just to put it back on as soon as he hanged up. Yamaguchi was quite into it, but he liked even more hearing Tsukishima giggling lightly from time to time. It was the most relaxed he had ever seen him, and knowing that he felt so comfortable around him, or at least that it seemed like it, made him feel very light inside.

When the food arrived, Yamaguchi put the pizzas on the table. In order not to miss anything, they decided to leave the series paused while they ate. They started eating and before Yamaguchi could regret it, he decided to ask Tsukishima.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Tsukishima said, covering his mouth as he chewed.

“You told me you wanted to see me again, but you didn’t say anything about it again. Was there a reason?” _Don’t blush, don’t blush, don’t blush_.

“Once again, you’re really forward. But, not really, I just didn’t want to be annoying,” Tsukishima answered after not so secretly choking a little bit and swallowing his food.

“Oh.” Yamaguchi was not expecting that answer, and he was between relieved and sad. “I don't want you to think that you can be annoying. You are not. You never are.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

“Anyways, are you liking the show?” Tsukishima changed topics before it could get awkward.

“Yes! I’m really loving it!”

They talked about it for a while, but the conversation stopped little by little, between the shyness, finishing eating and putting the series back on. The comments on what was happening in the episodes were decaying until disappearing altogether.

 _The Good Place_ was still playing in the background after hours, but none of them where paying attention anymore. Tsukishima had his eyes closed, and he was already breathing deeply. Yamaguchi, on the other side, was wide awake, looking at Tsukishima without fear of being caught. He actually had to make a great effort not to fall into the urge of touching him.

“You’re falling asleep,” he said instead. Tsukishima opened his eyes and sat up a little. “Are you sure you're gonna be able to go home?” Yamaguchi asked, seeing how he was still quite drowsy.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry," he answered, but Yamaguchi was definitely worrying. He was way too sleepy.

“Okay, just, stay here tonight,” he said, without really thinking about it.

“You’re worrying too much,” Tsukishima looked at him, a different expression in his face he couldn’t really figure out.

“And you're worrying too little. It’s already 3am. Seriously, just stay. I’ll give you a blanket and a pillow and you can stay in the sofa. It’s pretty comfortable.”

“I did notice that, as you just saw,” he smiled a little. “Are you sure?”

“Of course. I have to put up with random people on this couch, so now it’s my turn to annoy my flatmates.”

“I don't know if that convinces me to stay,” Tsukishima smirked, and Yamaguchi pushed him softly.

“Everything’s clean!”

“Just kidding, just kidding,” he chuckled.

“Wait here, I’ll go for the blanket and pillow. Do you want me to leave you a shirt or something to sleep with?” Yamaguchi asked as he got up and started going upstairs.

“Don’t worry, I’ll just sleep with my clothes.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he heard the answer from his bedroom. He picked up the things for Tsukishima and also grabbed an old t-shirt. He really didn’t want him to be uncomfortable. He went downstairs and handed him everything.

“Good night, then. If you need anything, just tell me, okay?” He said, smiling slightly.

Tsukishima nodded. “Goodnight. Hmm, Yamaguchi?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

Yamaguchi didn't know why, but he felt that "thank you" wasn't just for staying the night, so he smiled at him once again and went to his room. Everything was the same, and at the same time, everything felt lighter. He fell asleep as soon as he laid down in his bed.

***

Yamaguchi opened his eyes and picked up his phone from the bedside table to check the time. It was 10:30am and he had the urge to go back to sleep for a while, but he suddenly remembered that Tsukishima spent the night there, and he jumped up. After several stumbles around the room, he looked in the mirror and adjusted his hair as best he could. He gave it up after a few tries and left the room.

He could hear Tsukishima talking on the phone downstairs.

“You know I don’t like parties,” he heard, but he couldn’t tell who he was talking to. He approached the kitchen and as soon as Tsukishima saw him, he smiled at him, making Yamaguchi flush a little. He smiled back and started to look for mugs for both of them. He tapped Tsukishima’s shoulder to get his attention and pointed at the coffee machine to ask him if we wanted some. He nodded and mouthed thanks, so he poured them both some coffee.

“I’ll think about it, okay?” Tsukishima said, and he hanged up. “Good morning.”

“ ‘Morning,” Yamaguchi answered mid yawn, “who were you talking to?”

“Kuroo. Apparently, he has reserved the common area of our residence and he’s going to throw a party.”

“Oh, is it his birthday or something?”

“Nope, he just wanted to party.”

“Can't say it's a bad reason,” Yamaguchi laughed.

“He actually told me to ask you if you want to come,” Tsukishima looked nervous for some reason when he said it. “He has also invited Hinata and Kageyama.”

“Hm, well, I'm not really a party person. Are you going?” He tried to be smooth, but his cheeks were making it really difficult.

“I’ll go if you go,” Tsukishima said, avoiding eye contact, and Yamaguchi felt like his whole face was a bonfire. _How can he never blush at all?_

“Let’s go, then.”


	8. Party Tattoos

_We're not bruised_

_They're just party tattoos_

That morning, Tsukishima had woken up somewhat disoriented, but as soon as he realized where he was, he had to remind himself that he had to calm down, and that it was not a big deal.

The day before, as soon as Kuroo and Bokuto found out that he was meeting Yamaguchi, they started making fun of him.

“Ho, ho, so you are going to watch a show,” Kuroo mocked, making quote marks in the air.

“Netflix and chill, how fast they grow,” Bokuto said, dramatically.

“I don't know what you're talking about, but stop,” Tsukishima really had no idea what that meant, but the connotation was kind of obvious.

“Okay, okay, let's calm down, at what time is your date?” Kuroo, patting Tsukishima’s shoulder as soon as he realized he was actually a little bit uncomfortable.

“At 8.”

“Isn’t it a bit late?” Bokuto wondered.

“We have training.”

“Man, don't come, we can tell the rest that you have plans!” Bokuto said.

“We can definitely do that, you’ve never missed practice before. And it’s not like we’re a huge team preparing for nationals or something. We can endure a day without you.”

“You sure?” Tsukishima asked. He actually wanted to see Yamaguchi as soon as possible, but he was not willing to tell them that.

“Woah, you're not complaining!” Kuroo exclaimed, amused.

“Why would I complain when you've given me a free pass to escape practice?”

“And to be with the one you like,” Bokuto said, covertly.

“And to be with… wait, just, what?”

“Oh my God, he stuttered,” Bokuto snorted.

“And he blushed!”

“I did not”, Tsukishima said, adjusting his glasses to cover his face. He knew he was not actually blushing, but you could definitely tell he was embarrassed for what he almost said.

And so, he found himself at Yamaguchi's front door almost 3 hours before the time they were supposed to meet. The entire night he felt especially calm and happy, and Yamaguchi must have noticed. He did not usually smile, yet he found himself uncapable to do anything else.

At one point of the night, around 2 in the morning, he noticed that Yamaguchi had been staring at the moon. It wasn't a full moon or anything like that, but the night was clear enough that the reflection of the moon shone almost brighter than the television screen, making Yamaguchi’s fascinated face glow. He closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the whole situation, and ended up falling asleep. And that's how he ended up spending the night at Yamaguchi's house and wearing his t-shirt to sleep.

At first, he had refused to do so because he was already feeling too much inside, and that was not going to help. But sleeping in the familiarity of that smell was more striking than escaping. And, why deny it, sleeping in jeans was not the most comfortable thing in the world.

He woke up relatively late for what he was used to. It was 9 in the morning and the sun had long been decorating the sky. And after the initial surprise, he thought that maybe it was actually a big deal, and Tsukishima was beginning to be aware of it. He looked around in case Yamaguchi had gotten up, but no one was there. He spent some time scrolling down in social media, but after a while, he got bored and got up to go to the bathroom and put his clothes back on. Back in the living room, he removed the blanket and pillow, he took his computer out of his backpack and went to work on an assignment he had to submit the following week.

After about an hour, Kuroo called him on the phone.

“Hey, man.”

“Is everything alright?”

“You spent the night,” he could feel the smirk on the other side of the line.

“If you're going to do that, I'm going to hang up.”

“No, no, wait! You won’t even let me speak, for God’s shake.”

“Speak, then.” Tsukishima got up from where he had been working and started wandering around the kitchen.

“I'm going to throw a party!”

“Why?”

“Why not? Anyways, I booked the common area of the residence and I have invited the team and a few more friends!”

“How many are a few?”

“Who knows!”

“And what do you mean by this?”

“I want to know if you’re coming, obviously.”

“You know I don't like parties.”

“I know, but I was wondering if you wanted to bring Yamaguchi? It's really what I was calling you for, to tell you he's invited.” As Kuroo said this, he heard footsteps approaching from the stairs, he turned and saw that it was Yamaguchi, so he smiled. He turned around again, but Yamaguchi touched him on the back and pointed at the coffee machine, and guessing what he meant, he nodded.

“I'll think about it, okay?” he answered, because somehow, any plan was starting to become plausible if Yamaguchi was involved.

Kuroo knew his friend quite well, and knowing that his answer was most likely a yes, finished the call saying that he’ll tell the others they were coming.

And after Yamaguchi’s response, he found himself stuck in a plan that he would never have accepted if Yamaguchi hadn't entered his life.

***

A week later, Spring had already started, and the force of the sun prevented most people from forgetting it. It was too hot for the time of year, but the previous rainy days had sent all the students scared out onto the grass with the first glimpse of clear skies despite the warm temperature.

The light hit Yamaguchi directly in the face, even though he was lying in the shade a few minutes ago. His freckles became even more remarkable in the sun and Tsukishima almost forgot what he had just said.

“No problem, Tsukki! I’ll text Hinata and Kageyama to have dinner with them” Yamaguchi answered, lifting his head a little to look at Tsukishima with a big smile on his face.

“Sorry,” Tsukkishima apologised. He was going to ask Yamaguchi to have dinner with him, but Kuroo had already made his own plans, which were having a _pre-party flatmates dinner_ , whatever that meant.

“Seriously, it’s fine,” Yamaguchi sighed. “Living with people you’re actually friends with sounds amazing. The highest level of trust I've ever reached with my flatmates is knowing we’re not going to eat each other’s food.”

Tsukishima chuckled. “Why don’t you live with your friends?”

“If it was just the four of us, it would be cool. I can thirdwheel if Yachi is with me. But she has a girlfriend, so it would be five of us and I would be twice a thirdwheel,” Yamaguchi rubbed the back of his neck, looking slightly apologetic. "When you're the only one in a group without a partner, you feel a bit cut off from that kind of happiness. I feel happy for my friends, but sometimes I can’t help but feel a little bit resentful for being left out. And that's selfish".

“I kind of get it, I think. Not wanting to be a thirdwheel, I mean,” Tsukishima tried to organize his thoughts as he spoke. He was not really comfortable talking about these things. “I started to live with Kuroo, Kenma and Lev because Kuroo was tired of seeing Bokuto and Akaashi silently, but not so silently, pinning for each other. Quite hypocritical, if you ask me.”

“How so?”

“Now Lev and I are kind of thirdwheeling him and Kenma,” Tsukishima sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Really?” Yamaguchi got up a little bit and crossed his legs, looking at Tsukishima and looking quite interested in what he was telling.

“Yeah. They’ve been friends for a really long time, so I don’t know if they even realize what they’re doing or,” Tsukishima felt awkward even saying it, “feeling.”

“I think I get it,” Tsukishima looked at Yamaguchi, wondering. “They’ve been friends since they were kids. That’s a really long time. If they act on what they feel, there’s always a possibility that it turns out wrong. They have a lot to lose.”

“I guess so,” Tsukishima had never thought it that way.

Tsukishima looked away. Their conversation was taking a path he was still afraid to start walking. Tsukishima closed his eyes, letting the sun bath him with care, trying to concentrate in the warmth rather than Yamaguchi’s words.

They were both silent for a few minutes, long enough for Tsukishima to almost fall asleep. But suddenly, he felt a finger press his cheek. His eyes widened very quickly, surprised by the gesture. As he did so, he saw Yamaguchi remove his hand and smile slightly at him.

“I have to go or I’ll be late for my next class,” Yamaguchi said, as he stretched and started to get up. Tsukishima felt completely flustered, even though his face was really good at hiding it. “I’ll see you tonight!” Yamaguchi grabbed his backpack and waved goodbye. Tsukishima could only wave back slightly after a few seconds, mouth still hanging slightly open.

_The audacity._

***

It would be a lie if Tsukishima said that he was not waiting impatiently for Yamaguchi to arrive.

“You're going to wear out the door from looking at it so much,” Kuroo mocked as he took the last bite of his noodles.

“I’m not looking at the door,” Tsukishima didn’t even manage to convince himself.

“Don’t fool yourself, it doesn’t suit you,” Kenma deadpanned.

“Sigh.”

“You shouldn’t be allowed to say that out loud,” Kuroo said as he got up to put his dishes in the sink.

“So what if I’m waiting for him,” Tsukishima moved around his food, too nervous for everything, for being exposed, for not being able to even deny it, for all those feelings that kept spilling all over the table and got him thinking, and thinking, and thinking.

“Ladies and gentlemen, he admitted it. A big round of applause for this brave man,” Kuroo circled the table clapping as Lev followed. Tsukishima tried to stab him with his eyes, but it definitely didn’t work or he wouldn’t be laughing like a hyena. Kenma, used to their dynamic, got up from his chair and went to the sink to wash his dishes.

“You sure you don’t wanna come?” Kuroo went to where he was, resting his elbows in the counter and looking sideways at him, completely forgetting about Tsukishima.

“Yeah.”

“Okay, but don’t wear out your eyes too much,” Kuroo asked him, already knowing he was going to spend the night playing videogames, with a specially caring tone he only used with Kenma.

“We’ll see,” he said, a small smile peeking out that you could only guess if you had known him long enough. He finished washing both his dishes and Kuroo’s, and went straight to his bedroom, waving goodbye to them all.

“I'm gonna get going to the common are in case someone comes, see you in a bit!” Lev got up, not even realizing he had left his plate in the table and got out.

Tsukishima waited for Lev to leave said. “Sorry”, he apologized, fidgeting a little. Kuroo was way too caring and Tsukishima had engraved way too dark in his veins that he shouldn’t care at all. And he wanted, more than ever, to start erasing that belief. _Forgive me for not being able to easily accept that you're happy for me_.

“It’s fine,” Kuroo patted him on the back and smiled at him. He knew what he was sorry for. “Now, let’s forget this brief dramatic situation and just start partying!” he screamed, pushing Tsukishima towards the door and the stairs, grabbing the keys on their way out.

They went downstairs and into the common room. Through all the way there, Tsukishima kept adjusting his glasses and clothes, and looking at his cell phone. When you don't know if something is going to happen, what is going to happen, what to expect and what to let happen in general, the roots of uncertainty grow above your skin, taking control of your movements, leaving you at their service like a puppet. And Kuroo kept making comments about his actions. But that’s what friends were for, he guessed.

As they entered, Kuroo took out some drinks from the fridge, turned on a little disco ball with coloured lights and plugged his phone into the speakers to turn on the music. As his playlist began, the intercom started ringing, and it did not stop during the half hour it took everyone to arrive. People dripped in constantly, one after the other, Lev opening the door for them and Tsukishima watching from one of the sofas until he caught a glimpse of a head with tousled hair too recognizable to ignore.

Yamaguchi was laughing at something Hinata said and Kageyama looked confused. Tsukishima approached them.

“Hello,” he said to all of them.

“Hi!” Hinata answered, and nudged Yamaguchi.

“Hi, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi said too, after looking weirdly at Hinata.

“Race to the drinks?” Hinata asked Kageyama, mischievous smile already on his lips.

“Wait…” Kageyama started.

“1, 2 , 3, GO!” Hinata screamed and started running.

“That’s not fair, you asshole!” Kageyama screamed back, running after him.

Yamaguchi laughed at the scene and Tsukishima rolled his eyes, but seeing how happy Yamaguchi looked, he couldn’t help but feel a little bit bubbly too.

“Thank God you saw me, I was afraid of not finding you with all these people,” Yamaguchi said, faint blush on his cheeks.

“I was not expecting this many people either.”

“I’m kind of nervous, not going to lie. I’m not used to partying a lot.”

“Me neither,” Tsukishima answered honestly. “Should we grab something to drink?” he asked, wanting to get away a little bit from the multitude.

“Sure,” Yamaguchi smiled, and followed Tsukishima.

They both got their beers and sat on the sofa where Tsukishima had been waiting for Yamaguchi before. They started talking and drinking, Tsukishima mainly drinking because of his nervousness, and Yamaguchi mainly talking because of what he wanted to think was the same reason.

As the rest moved around them, they created a little personal bubble. They barely listened to the music, as if putting on the soundtrack to a movie that had just begun, leaving them to come out in focus while the others were supporting actors.

One drink after another, a little bit too much alcohol in their bodies, but without being really drunk, one smile led to another, and they were suddenly closer together than necessary, their knees not coming apart despite the increasing heat and their hands flying too close between their bodies. Tsukishima got reminded of how embarrassed he had felt from a simple touch that morning, and how he was feeling both overwhelmed and completely comfortable at that moment. Without even trying, there was less distance between them than there was between a raven and the sky.

Violins accompanied the foreign song that started playing on the speakers. Bokuto seemed to recognise it rapidly and grabbed Akaashi by his wrist.

“Let’s dance!” he said happily, and Akaashi followed him.

They got up and hold each other’s hands, dancing like little kids that barely knew what rhythm was, but both laughing hard.

“That’s cute,” Tsukishima heard Yamaguchi and looked at him. He was looking at them with a smile on his lips, the alcohol pouring out his thoughts.

“There’s a rooftop in the dorms building, you wanna go?” asked Tsukishima, ignoring Yamaguchi’s comment, even though he definitely agreed.

“Sure,” Yamaguchi answered, and Tsukishima smiled at him

They were both kind of drunk, so going upstairs was complicated between tripping and almost falling, and constantly leaning not too subtly on each other. Rubbing, caresses, too much physical contact and Tsukishima did not know if he had drunk more than he thought and he was now imagining things, if Yamaguchi was doing this on purpose, or if he was the one who was going unnoticed. But his mind was too clouded to think. And as usual, he didn't feel like thinking, either. When they reached the top floor, he took out the key, opened the door, and they went out onto the terrace.

Rooftop security was questionable enough, the edge of the building not protected at all, but they were not really allowed to go there, anyways. It was one of the emergency exits, so there was a key per floor and each flat would have it one semester. Coincidentally, it had fallen into the hands of Tsukishima that semester. There was nothing but the sky and the views of the city, and the silhouette of Yamaguchi in the moonlight.

“Let’s lay down,” said Yamaguchi. Tsukishima did not hesitate and followed him.

They laid down as best as they could, side by side, without touching each other, but so close that Tsukishima was suffocating not to be able to do so. But he wouldn't. He was not able to do it. The sofa and the stairs trip had been enough. He was not going to risk more.

The sky was clear and the stars dazzled with evident shyness. Jupiter was notable as well, accompanying some other rebel planets that wanted to steal its limelight. But they all shined equally, with more or less intensity, but all in unison, in tune.

“You know,” Yamaguchi interrupted his thoughts, “I’ve always wanted to go out of the city to see stars.”

“You’ve never done that?” Tsukishima wondered.

“Nah. Both my parents are always working and they’re not really countryside people,” Yamaguchi answered, without taking his eyes off the sky. They were shinning. They looked like one star more.

“It’s really different,” Tsukishima decided to share. He’s been sharing more about his life in the past month than in his whole life. “My brother used to take me every summer to see the Perseid meteor shower and it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”

Tsukishima closed his eyes, appreciating more the sound of the street than the sight in the sky. He could hear the streetlights, the slight tinkling of the bulbs, the heavy steps of people returning home after some party, the sound of the few cars that had the courage to move around at that hour. He heard his heart beating, racing a little, but at a steady pace. He also heard his own breathing. And suddenly, he heard another breath that was not his, way closer than it was before. And just before he opened his eyes, worried, he felt something on his lips. More than a kiss, it was a shared sigh, the release of a breath he didn't know he was holding. It felt as if the stars had just caressed him. And maybe they did.

Tsukishima opened his eyes and found himself just an inch away from a different sky than before. Yamaguchi was looking at him with the intensity with which he had looked at the moon the other day from the living room, or just with the same amount of passion that he looked at every detail in life. With the difference that this time, he was looking at him.

“I just…” Yamaguchi murmured, not closing neither putting distance. He was waiting for Tsukishima, and he was not rushing him. “Was that okay?”

Tsukishima was torn between nodding or talking, but he must have done something because suddenly, Yamaguchi’s hand was in his cheek, and it was trembling, which made Tsukishima finally know. He wanted, he expected, he wished, and now he _knew_. And so, he sat up slightly, without taking his eyes off Yamaguchi and measuring each movement, afraid of scaring him away.

“You can see I’m also nervous,” he said as he put his hand above Yamaguchi’s, his voice as uneven as his pulse. He didn’t dare to interlock his fingers, but once again, Yamaguchi was a step ahead and did it himself, awkwardly stretching out his fingers and managing to make it work.

That small gesture, that simple thing, that way of fighting his own shyness made Tsukishima finally do something himself and made the distance say goodbye to welcome lips other than his.

The first step was taken and they were tentatively moving their lips, testing, feeling, searching for something they had already found. They parted slightly after a few minutes, taking some air even if they’ve both been able to finally breath in that time.

“Your glasses are digging into me,” admitted Yamaguchi and Tsukishima started laughing, pure and natural, leaning his forehead in Yamaguchi’s shoulder.

“I really like you, I hope you know what,” Tsukishima said, because he decided he was willing to lose it all.


	9. The Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Key:  
> • Yamaguchi (bold)  
> • Yachi (italics)

_Oh, and I'm afraid that's just the way the world works_

_But I think that it could work for you and me_

Yamaguchi didn't quite know what had prompted him to take the first step. The night was beautiful, and Tsukishima was talking and sharing more than the silences he was used to hearing, so he could only lean in and kiss him. Lately, he was being too brave, and he didn't mind getting used to being brave if he got in return all that he was willing to give.

 _I really like you_ , Tsukishima had said in the gap between his shoulder and his collar, and Yamaguchi put his arms tightly around his neck, dragging his body towards his own, hugging him with all the strength of his fear and feelings.

“I really like you too,” he whispered in his ear, untangling his arms and cupping his cheeks to bring their lips back together.

This time, the kiss was not slow, it was something desperate, both catching their breath as they were losing it, inexperience complicating their movement, but making them want to continue making their way between their mouths, even if they had no idea how. Yamaguchi felt Tsukishima's hands rest on his neck, and when his fingers felt like ice, he realized that the early morning cold was not going to let them stay there much longer. Yamaguchi opened his eyes and pulled away enough to be able to speak, but Tsukishima followed his lips without thinking, which made him laugh very slightly, smiling on Tsukishima's lips. When he felt it, this time he did open his eyes and broke away.

“Do you want to stay the night?” Tsukishima asked, in a choked tone, not even giving him time to say a word. His eyes shone with the twinkling of the stars and, for the first time, he thought Tsukishima was slightly flushed.

“Yes,” he replied, because at that moment he couldn't imagine anywhere else he wanted go.

They both got up from the ground and Tsukishima grabbed Yamaguchi’s hand without a second thought, and went to the door without letting go of it, guiding him towards the stairs, causing Yamaguchi to lighten his steps to keep up with the other's quick path.

When they reached the flat, they saw that the rest had not yet arrived. Yamaguchi had no idea what time it was, but he guessed it was only past midnight, so it made sense. They went to Tsukishima's room and, as soon as he closed the door, Yamaguchi gave his hand a tug, causing Tsukishima to turn around. His face showed surprise, but he made no attempt to move. Yamaguchi brought his hands to his face and slowly removed his glasses, without losing eye contact with him. He placed them on what he sensed was the desk and put both hands on Tsukishima's face, lightly stroking his cheekbones.

“Now I no longer see from afar,” Tsukishima said, wrapping cautiously his hands around Yamaguchi’s waist.

“I'll have to stay very close, then,” Yamaguchi responded, not even realizing how that sounded.

Tsukishima was the one who reached first this time, placing his hands on the back of Yamaguchi's neck and placing his lips on Yamaguchi’s without any discomfort in the way.

The desperate kisses came back, and they managed to walk across the room. The sound of belts unfastening, jeans falling to the ground, and the panting were all that was heard. They stumbled to the bed. Tsukishima sat leaning against the wall, and Yamaguchi sat on his lap, crossing his legs around his waist, causing Tsukishima to make a small sound of pleasure, but loud enough for Yamaguchi to hear. He trailed his hands up the length of his arms to the collar of the shirt, pulling it slightly, which caused Tsukishima to pull away just enough to remove his shirt, to which Yamaguchi responded with the same gesture.

They embraced, skin to skin, the sweat beginning to emerge from the kisses, the touches, the heat of their bodies emanating from the desire and power they exerted on each other. Tsukishima moved from Yamaguchi’s lips and started kissing his throat, his neck, behind his ear. Yamaguchi pushed him away, just enough for him to be now the one kissing past the other’s mouth. He kissed his chin and continued down until he reached his clavicle hollow, where he began to lick very slowly upward again. As he reached his mouth, he kissed his lower lip and bit down a little, pulling, making Tsukishima moan, unrestricted, prompting him to French-kiss him, pleasure limiting control.

It was too much, Yamaguchi thought, because he realized he was way too turned on, and that Tsukishima was too, but he thought that they might be going a little bit too fast, so he pulled apart a little, caressing Tsukishima’s throat.

“Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima spoke first, his hands on the top of Yamaguchi’s head, grabbing some locks of hair.

“Yeah?,” he answered, his chest going up and down.

“Should we slow down a little?” Tsukishima said, his words sounding really careful, as if he was scared to say them out loud.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Yamaguchi smiled, because how could he not when both of them were so obviously on the same page.

“How are you so amazing”, Tsukishima said, giving him a peck on the cheek, “how do you understand me so perfectly”, he spoke again, pecking his other cheek, “how do you deal with me”, he kept going, leaving a trail of kisses along his nose and cheekbones, “who gave you the right to have freckles?,” he finished, which was what made Yamaguchi laugh with all the happiness he was feeling.

“Apparently, to let you kiss them all,” he answered, unasked.

“Shut up, Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima said, shutting him up.

They untangled from one another for their skins to breath on their own and calm down, laying down while still kissing each other, their lips and tongues reaching a slower path. After some more time, the alcohol they had forgotten started making them both feel especially tired.

“We should go to sleep,” Yamaguchi said, stroking Tsukishima’s hair and pecking his lips once more.

Tsukishima nodded and got up to grab his shirts off the floor, handing Yamaguchi his.

“Don't get cold,” he said, getting back into bed and tucking them both in with the sheets and blankets. Yamaguchi allowed himself to be wrapped up and laid on his back, pulling Tsukishima to lie on top. He placed his head on his chest, falling asleep in minutes, without even having enough strength to say goodnight. It took Yamaguchi a little longer to fall asleep, not used to having a body close to his at night, but fatigue was stronger than habit.

 _I think I’m kind of falling in love,_ he thought, just before falling asleep.

***

The curtains were closed, and no light entered, but the atmosphere was suffocating enough to wake Yamaguchi up. He opened his eyes and found Tsukishima's body in the same position they had fallen asleep in, which made him understand why he had woken up. Despite the cold outside, with the sun still hidden in the night sky, it was very hot and the weight of a body on top of his was tolerable only for limited time.

He untangled himself as best he could, trying not to wake Tsukishima, with considerable difficulty considering that he was fully supported on top of Yamaguchi. Still, he succeeded, propping him up on the pillow while he went to the bathroom for a moment, which luckily was inside the room.

He closed the door so as not to disturb Tsukishima with the light and looked at himself in the mirror. His neck was a little red, but he didn't really have any hickeys or bruises. His cheeks were completely flushed, and his hair was an absolute mess. However, he couldn't help but smile.

“This actually happened…” he muttered to himself.

He washed his face after he was done in an attempt to cool down a little. He left the bathroom, taking advantage of the light to find his phone in the pants that were lying on the floor. He looked at the time and saw that there was enough time to be able to sleep again. He turned off the light in the bathroom and before putting his phone down, this time on the desk, he decided to write to a certain person.

(04:04) **Yachi**

(04:04) **WE KISSED**

(04:04) **A LOT**

(04:04) **I’m so happy right now**

(04:05) **But also**

(04:05) **WHEN DID I LEARN HOW TO FLIRT, WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, HOW DID I EVEN DO THAT, WHO’S THAT GUY**

(04:06 **) AND WTF HOW DID I KNOW HOW TO DO ALL THOSE THINGS IF I’VE NEVER DONE THEM BEFORE ????**

(04:07) **AND SAME FOR HIM??**

(04:07) **HOW DOES THIS EVEN WORK ???**

(04:08) **WHERE DOES THIS INSTINCT COME FROM ???**

(04:08) **ANYWAYS**

(04:08) **I’LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING TOMORROW AT SOME POINT**

(04:09) **I PROMISE**

(04:09) **Now I’m going back to sleep**

(04:10) **With him**

(04:10) **You’re going to kill me tomorrow when you read all of this**

(04:11) **Anyways, goodnight, love you** **❤** **️**

He blocked his phone, left it in the desk and tried to position himself in the same place he was before, but having fallen asleep on the side of the wall, the gap was a bit inaccessible.

“Come back,” Tsukishima muttered, startling Yamaguchi. He grabbed his hand lazily, and pushed him inside the bed, making space for him, moving his body towards the other side, but still facing Yamaguchi.

“Sorry,” Yamaguchi apologized, feeling a little bad for waking him up, putting his arms around him as best as he could in the position they were.

“Mm,” Tsukishima sputtered, tucking his head into the gap between his head and his neck, breathing into Yamaguchi's chest.

 _He’s going to kill me_ , Yamaguchi thought, sure that he would actually let him.

***

Yamaguchi woke up to a tingling on his face. He opened his eyes slowly, the light coming through the window preventing him from seeing well. When he focused his pupils, he saw what had awakened him. Tsukishima was running softly his index finger around his face, drawing shapeless figures from one cheek to the other.

“Do you wanna make pancakes?” he asked, not bothering to stop what he was doing.

“I definitely wanna make pancakes,” Yamaguchi answered, not really wanting him to stop. He attempted to bite Tsukishima’s finger, but he failed, and Tsukishima chuckled a little. He removed a small strand of hair from Yamaguchi’s forehead, and Yamaguchi closed his eyes.

“Let’s go, then,” Tsukishima said, getting out of bed, stretching his arms and getting dressed. Yamaguchi followed, also grabbing his jeans from the floor and his phone from the desk.

“Wait,” he suddenly thought, “aren’t your friends going to be downstairs or something?”

“It’s like 10 in the morning,” Tsukishima answered, turning around, “do you really think they finished partying earlier than 6 am?” The smirk on his face said it all.

“I guess not,” Yamaguchi chuckled a little, but he noticed how Tsukishima’s expression suddenly darkened, not smiling back.

“And would you care?” Tsukishima asked, with a tone that tried to be impersonal but with the edge of his emotions leaning out.

“Not really,” Yamaguchi stated, not wasting any second to hold the other’s hand as reassurement. _I want this as much as you seem to want it, too_ , he tried to say with his actions.

Tsukishima nodded and turned around quickly, not letting Yamaguchi see his face. He guided them both outside his room and towards the kitchen, which was at the end of the long hallway that had the four rooms of the flat. They entered, released hands and Tsukishima began looking around the cabinets and the fridge for the pancake’s ingredients. Meanwhile, Yamaguchi unlocked his phone to search for the recipe, which made him see the messages Yachi had sent him in response to what he wrote at dawn.

(08:57) _YAMA YOU’RE UNRESTRAINED OMG_

(08:58) _I’M DYING_

(08:58) _I WANT TO KNOW EVERY SINGLE DETAIL_

(08:59) _YOU BET YOUR ASS I’M GOING TO INTERROGATE YOU AS SOON AS I SEE YOU_

(09:00) _BUT NOW_

(09:00) _have fun wink wink_

(09:01) _even I’M blushing_

(09:01) _AAAAAHHHHHH_

He laughed lightly, which made Tsukishima look at him curiously, but Yamaguchi waved his hand dismissively. He looked for the recipe and began to relate the ingredients to Tsukishima.

“Okay, we need 2 eggs, 30gr of butter, a glass of milk, 30gr of sugar, 220gr of flour and half a teaspoon of baking powder.”

“I think I have it all,” Tsukishima said, leaving all the food in the counter, “but how do we measure the ingredients?”

“Don’t you have a scale or something?”

“No,” Tsukishima looked at the ingredients as if he could maybe measure everything with his mind, which almost made Yamaguchi burst out laughing, but he held himself back.

“Maybe we can look for how to measure it with glasses?”

“I’ll look for it,” Tsukishima grabbed his phone from the kitchen table and started looking, leaning on the edge of the board. Yamaguchi put his phone in his back pocket and stood beside Tsukishima, forgetting what personal space was, and staring at his screen.

“Is it the first time you make pancakes?” Yamaguchi wondered.

“Yes,” Tsukishima answered without really paying attention, focused on his task, not realizing that Yamaguchi was a breath away.

“Same here. I hope they come out decent.”

“It’s going to be fine,” Tsukishima looked up and, realizing just how close Yamaguchi was, he quickly looked back at his screen.

“And if not, I’m still going to eat them,” Yamaguchi stated. “Should we put some music?”

“Sure.”

Yamaguchi pulled his phone out of his pocket in search of a neutral enough playlist, and left some space between himself and Tsukishima. When he chose one, he put his phone on the table, the chords of a quiet song beginning to play.

They both began to navigate the kitchen, looking for kitchen tools, sometimes adding too much, sometimes falling short, laughing softly, talking without letting the silence fully break. It was comfortable, but the air was full of wariness.

The night had a special magic. The night did not let fear speak, it put it away in a corner. When you didn’t think about the hours after dawn, words, actions, everything was still the day before. There were no mistakes to make, just steps forward, sure, without second thoughts. The moon was not about telling secrets and the stars would stop looking if you kindly asked them. Intimacy surfaced in the dark and gravity seemed to draw bodies together more than usual. Without wariness there is no restriction to the heart. But the sun would not stop rising, no matter how much you wanted your yesterday to last forever. The night hid the fears and the day forced you to tell them.

As soon as they stepped out of the room, something staggered, and Yamaguchi didn't want everything that had happened to remain in the air without facing it. While Tsukishima finished making the last pancake, Yamaguchi set the table, and when they both sat down next to each other to eat, he decided that it was better to talk now than to wait.

“Tsukki,” Yamaguchi said, after swallowing the first bite of the pancake, which was actually quite good. “We should talk”.

“Yeah,” Tsukishima answered, with a tone that scared Yamaguchi a little bit, but he kept going.

“I already told you I like you,” Yamaguchi said before he could back off, “and I would like for all that happened to not be just a one-night thing,” he finished, cutting another piece of pancake to eat, trying to avoid eye contact. He usually spoke before thinking, but that didn't mean he didn't fear the consequences of his words.

Tsukishima lengthened the silence, as if he had some internal debate, but before Yamaguchi had enough time to panic, he talked back.

“Well, I was the first one who said it yesterday,” Tsukishima started, “so obviously I feel the same. And I feel the same about both things,” he looked up from his food, looking Yamaguchi straight in the eyes, as if he was trying to make his words sound firm enough.

“So, should we…” Yamaguchi started blushing and slightly trembling, a strange kind of happiness and disbelief surrounding him all over. _Is this really happening?_

“Yeah,” Tsukishima looked back at his food, but a smile was starting to pull from the corners of his lips.

“Is it that easy?”

“Why wouldn’t it be easy?”

“Touché.”

 _Now what?_ Yamaguchi thought. An awkward silence followed, both chewing on their pancakes, not really knowing what to do. However, Tsukishima bumped their knees together, not separating them after the first contact.

“Can I kiss you?” Yamaguchi asked, unable to contain himself anymore. _Fuck it_.

“I’m chewing,” Tsukishima answered, but he swallowed a second later.

Yamaguchi put the fork and knife on the plate, and raised his left hand, resting it on Tsukishima's cheek and sliding slightly down to support his chin. He closed his eyes on contact and Yamaguchi didn’t waste more time, giving him a peck on the lips. It was much lighter than the kisses from the night before, the sweetness of the food and the moment intoxicating all the senses with the slight movement of their lips. They parted seconds later, and when both opened their eyes, Tsukishima took the opportunity to take Yamaguchi's hand. He pulled it a little closer to him, staring at it, stroking it with his thumb, as if he was trying to decipher all the details. At one point, he lifted it up, and twisted his own fingers to position them so both hands were palm to palm, interlocking their fingers soon after. As Tsukishima stared at their joined hands, Yamaguchi couldn't stop staring at him.

“Can I kiss you too?” Tsukishima asked when he finally made eye contact again with Yamaguchi.

“We’re dating now.” _You can kiss me whenever you want to_ , Yamaguchi wanted to say, but Tsukishima was smart enough to know that his words meant exactly that.

“We are,” Tsukishima actually giggled a little, “we actually are”.


	10. Smell Of Tangerines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Key:  
> • Yamaguchi (bold)  
> • Yachi (italics)  
> • *Hinata*  
> • *Kageyama* (italics)

_It smells like home_

_Like coming back from vacation in September,_

_Like boiling coffee with milk,_

_Like blanket and TV,_

_As if it was you the one who has always been_

Kuroo was the first of Tsukishima’s friends to find out.

Tsukishima was sitting on the sofa with Yamaguchi's head resting on his thighs, a silly grin bubbling from Yamaguchi’s mouth, his hands halfway to bring Tsukishima's face closer to his and be able to kiss him when they suddenly heard steps, and they both looked over the sofa. Kuroo was in the hallway. At such a scene, his eyes widened, and he screamed. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were startled, not expecting anyone to come out before noon, Yamaguchi placing his head on the other side of the sofa and covering his face with a cushion, while Tsukishima got up and turned his back to the other.

“FINALLY!” Kuroo kept screaming and, mid yell, he run towards Tsukishima, assaulting him from behind, clutching his shoulders tightly and running his knuckles through his hair, causing them both to almost fall.

Tsukishima was not one of giving or receiving hugs. He gave them on special occasions. Rarely, when it was too happy for his taste, or too sad for his comfort. He had discovered in the last few hours that he really liked hugging Yamaguchi though, which was a first. But Kuroo had a strangely contagious happiness and, although he was not particularly affectionate, Tsukishima hugged him from the side, giving some awkward pats on his friend’s shoulder.

“And you,” Kuroo pointed at Yamaguchi after giving Tsukishima a less flamboyant and more sincere smile, “welcome to the family”.

“What family?” Yamaguchi honestly asked, confused at Kuroo’s words, and Tsukishima sighed, used to his dramatic antics.

“I’ll grab some food and leave you both alone,” Kuroo grinned, not bothering to answer Yamaguchi. He picked something from the fridge and turned around, waving on his way back to his room.

“He’s so embarrassing,” Tsukishima said, sighing again, but sounding halfassed. He was aware himself that it was a lie, the truth spilling out through his smile.

“He’s a really good friend and cares for you,” Yamaguchi stated, reading the sincerity in between the lines. He got up from the sofa and went near Tsukishima, caressing his hand with his index finger, which made Tsukishima shiver. “I could tell from the way he smiled at you.”

“That cat grin?” Tsukishima hooked his index finger with Yamaguchi’s and swinged their hands lightly.

Yamaguchi smiled, knowing Tsukishima was avoiding the question. And because he knew, Tsukishima, as soon as he made sure that Kuroo had actually gone inside his room, he gently pulled Yamaguchi back to the sofa.

They both sat down again, and Yamaguchi picked his phone from the table to write something, letting Tsukishima’s hand go, but sitting close enough for their thighs to touch.

Tsukishima faced forward and rested his head on the back of the sofa, looking at the ceiling.

“I like that he gets me, somehow,” he said, just thinking out loud, not really expecting Yamaguchi to say anything.

“Understanding you is not that complicated, you know,” Yamaguchi answered, regardless, making Tsukishima look at him and finding Yamaguchi’s eyes focused on him. Tsukishima was close to having goosebumps from the intensity of his gaze. “You just need to know how to look.”

“Not everyone is willing to.”

“Not everyone deserves to.”

With that and a slight blush, Yamaguchi looked at the screen of his phone again, at the same time that Tsukishima fixed his glasses and looked the other way to prevent Yamaguchi from seeing the obvious expression on his face. _I’m not going to survive this._

They were both silent for a while, enjoying the novelty of this new type of company, the shared absence of sound in absolute comfort. Tsukishima closed his eyes, and it was after a long time that he opened them again, returning to the present with some giggles from Yamaguchi.

“What are you laughing at?” Tsukishima asked, curious.

“I just really love my friends,” Yamaguchi answered, still looking at his phone.

“I’m aware, but how so?”

“Just read this,” Yamaguchi looked at him, a bright smile on his face, and he handed him his phone.

Tsukishima took it and saw that he was telling him to read the groupchat he had with Hinata, Yachi and Kageyama.

“Start from here,” Yamaguchi pointed the screen the same time that he laid his head on Tsukishima’s shoulder to read with him, even if he already knew what the messages said.

GROUP CHAT: Table 31

Participants: Hinata, Kageyama, Yachi and Yamaguchi

(15:23) _okay guys_

(15:23) _i’m going to take the liberty of announcing that yama is nO LONGER PURE_

(15:23) _*?*_

(15:24) *wht do u mean yachi*

(15:24) *WAIT*

(15:25) *THE PARTY*

(15:25) *YAMAGUCH I NEVER SAIE YOU AFYER YOU LEFT*

(15:26) _*We were worried*_

(15:26) _*But Akaashi, told us you were with Stingyshima*_

(15:27) **Oops** **😳**

(15:27) _THE FACE OF THE CULPRIT_

(15:27) _NOW SPILL_

(15:28) *YEAH YAMA SPILL*

(15:23) **Okay**

(15:28) DON’T ACT ALL INTERESTING, JUST TALK

(15:29) **I WILL IF YOU LET ME**

(15:29) **I won’t get into much detail because I’m still at Tsukki’s place**

(15:29) _omg_

(15:30) *omg x2*

(15:30) **But yesterday, after we left the party, we went to the rooftop**

(15:30) **Which was super cool, I had no idea they had something like that**

(15:31) _DON’T CHANGE THE SUBJECT_

(15:32) **LET ME LIVE**

(15:32) **Anyways**

(15:32) **It was beautiful, the mood was perfect, his face was wonderful**

(15:33) **And**

(15:33) **Well**

(15:33) **I kissed him**

(15:34) *OH MYGOD*

(15:34) _YOU KISSED HIM, YAMA HOW BOLD_

(15:34) * _Congrats I guess*_

(15:35) *kageyama dont be like that!!!!!*

(15:35) *but same*

(15:36) _YOU TWO STOP_

(15:36) _*I was kidding_ _🙂_ _*_

(15:37) *ofc were super happy fr fr!!!!!!*

(15:37) _OUR BRAVE BOY_

(15:37) _NOW TELL US THE REST_

(15:38) _*There’s more?*_

(15:38) *THERES MORE OMG*

(15:39) **Well, so, after that, we kept kissing and he asked me to stay the night**

(15:39) _usdpifawjenfw_

(15:39) *seconded!!!*

(15:39) **And obviously**

(15:40) _obviously_

(15:40) *obviously*

(15:40) _*Obviously*_

(15:41) **SHUT UP**

(15:41) **And obviously I stayed**

(15:41) **And we made out**

(15:42) **A lot**

(15:42) _YAMA DID YOU USE PROTECTION_

(15:42) **OMG STOP NO**

(15:43) _*No?*_

(15:43) *NO??????????*

(15:43) **NO, STOP, I DON’T MEAN IT LIKE THAT**

(15:44) **LET ME FINISH FOR GOD’S SAKE**

(15:44) **I CAN’T STAND YOU**

(15:44) **I MEAN**

(15:45) **We made out, but I felt that we were going too fast**

(15:45) **So I was going to tell him**

(15:45) **And he actually told me first**

(15:45) **That we should slow down**

(15:46) **So we stopped, and we just slept after that**

(15:46) **And we made pancakes this morning**

(15:46) **And we talked**

(15:46) **And now I have a boyfriend**

(15:47) _can we finally speak?_

(15:47) **Go ahead**

(15:47) _YAMA HAS A BOYFRIEND!!!!_

(15:47) *YAMAGUCHI OMG YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND*

(15:48) _*I’m glad, Yamaguchi*_

(15:48) _AND I TOTALLY APPROVE OF THIS BOY ????? WHAT A SWEETHEART OMG_

(15:48) **🥰**

(15:49) _CHAMPAGNE, BRING THE CHAMPAGNE_

(15:49) *we can’t afford it ☹*

(15:49) _BRING SHITTY WINE THEN, IT’LL DO_

Tsukishima finished reading the conversation and looked at Yamaguchi, who was watching him, attentive to his reaction. Tsukishima couldn't help but kiss the freckles on the bridge of his nose. He stared at him, still holding his phone, and only handed it back when the blush began to appear on Yamaguchi’s cheeks. Turns out, Tsukishima also loved teasing Yamaguchi to get a response from his cheeks.

“Tsukki!” Yamaguchi whined, startled, but they both knew he was not actually complaining, he was just embarrassed.

“Hinata and Kageyama are a mess,” Tsukishima ignored his words, but leaned his head above the other’s, “but you can tell they are good friends. And I think I’d get along with Yachi.”

“You would!” Yamaguchi said excitedly, lightly bumping the tip of his nose with the other's due to the movement and their closeness. _Act cool, act cool, act cool_ , Tsukishima kept repeating himself.

“You’re easy to love,” Tsukishima said, his thoughts again spilling out.

“Stop, I might kiss you.”

“I might let you.”

**_A few months later_ **

Time passed in a curious way when you found something that you did not know you were looking for. Since that morning together, there were days that passed slowly and days that passed quickly, but they were all accompanied by the same face, and that was something Tsukishima had a hard time getting used to, although every detail they shared made it easier. Every touch, every kiss, every smile, every insecurity brought them closer and closer. Tsukishima had completely forgotten where he started and where Yamaguchi started every time they were together.

Summer peeked out the window, causing sweat to break out on the skin even when you weren't moving. July had opened the door and the sun was pounding, dazzling during the day. The exams had already finished two weeks ago and the last of Yamaguchi's roommates had gone home 5 days ago, allowing Tsukishima and Yamaguchi to now lie in the living room without worry.

The cushioned furniture of the windowsill was big enough for the two of them to enter, one on each side, with their knees up. Music played in the background, a radio ballad filling the silence of the room accompanied by the sound of cicadas complaining about the weather.

Yamaguchi had his eyes closed, sunbathing, and Tsukishima could see all his freckles in full blaze, having increased as soon as the sun began to shine brighter. Then he remembered the first thing he thought when he saw that photo he’d uploaded, the photo that made him jump into the pool before the cold even ended.

_He is a sky full of stars._

And even if it wasn’t night time, once again, he could see stars other than the sun.

Tsukishima left the comfortable spot, paying attention to his stomach, and got up for a moment to go to the kitchen.

“I’ll be right back,” he said out loud, and Yamaguchi made a small affirmative sound, but he stayed in the same position.

Tsukishima opened the fridge and, although it was quite empty, there was an apple and an almost whole pack of tangerines, so he took one pair of the latter, a bowl and returned to his place. By then, he had already spent too much time in that house, so he knew were everything was. He settled back, placing one of his bare feet between Yamaguchi's two, to which Yamaguchi opened one eye, curious to see what he had brought.

“I want some,” he said as soon as he saw the fruit, smiling.

“Sure,” Tsukishima answered, leaving the bowl on his left.

Yamaguchi closed his eyes again and Tsukishima started peeling the tangerines. The acidic scent began to fill the room, giving it an even more homey scent than it already was. Suddenly, Yamaguchi opened back his eyes.

“Tsukki,” he said, his voice sounding a little bit shy.

“Hmm?” Tsukishima muttered without stopping the task at hand.

“I want to sit there.” Tsukishima looked up to see where Yamaguchi was pointing, only to find he meant between his legs.

“But it's too hot,” Tsukishima replied, grateful he didn’t blush easily. _Will I ever get used to this?_

“I don't mind,” Yamaguchi said back, actually blushing a little, but not backing up.

“You're going to mind as soon as you start sweating,” Tsukishima said, but he was already changing his position.

“Then I'll first turn on the fan,” Yamaguchi answered happily, already getting up to do so.

He plugged the fan and placed it in a way that the air would hit them both without it being uncomfortable. He returned and Tsukishima spread his legs wide enough for Yamaguchi to sit down. He positioned himself, comfortably resting his head on Tsukishima's chest and closing his eyes once again. Tsukishima’s heart lightened its rhythm, but being with Yamaguchi meant learning to get used to it happening often.

He kept peeling the tangerine, a little more uncomfortable than before, but managing to get by. As soon as he finished, he ate a slice and brought another one to Yamaguchi’s lips so that he could also eat. He opened his mouth as soon as he felt it, not bothering to open his eyes.

“Yummy,” mumbled Yamaguchi, his mouth full. That made Tsukishima laugh a little, feeling light and happy. As soon as he saw Yamaguchi's throat swallow, he leaned down a little to the right so he could kiss him. Yamaguchi promptly answered it, but didn’t attempt to deepen it. He moved his lips against Tsukishima's and they both couldn't help but smile.

“This is yummier,” Yamaguchi said, still against Tsukishima's lips.

“Won’t make my hunger go away, though,” Tsukishima answered, pecking his boyfriend one last time before eating another slice of tangerine.

“You sure about that?”

“We’ll see.”

They kept tiptoeing around certain things, careful not to overstep each other's limits, but without fear of asking things from one another. Neither of them had experience, yet they weren't in a rush, so they enjoyed going barefoot without making too much noise. Slowly. Without running.

There are people who come and make your life a little happier without even doing anything special. And if one day they decided to go out the door, your heart would rip apart in the most painful of ways. You would be fine with time, yet the room would always stay a little duller than before they ever entered.

But Tsukishima had the feeling that he would never have to worry about and empty room, and that these particular stars would never fade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE REACHED THE END!!!
> 
> First of all, thank you so, so much for the support I've received. This was supossed to be finished months ago, but it has been a complicated year, and I've been both busy and a bit overwhelmed by the situation. However, I managed to finish the story and, even if I'm sure that there's plenty of room for improvement, I'm satisfied and happy with the result.
> 
> Thank you for every like, commment and interaction. You can't possibly believe how wonderful it feels to get even the smallest feedback on a piece of work you've created with your whole heart in hand.
> 
> Thanks, also, for every single reader that, even if they don't interact, they use a little bit of their time to read my words.
> 
> And last but not least, I created a playlist with the songs I used as titles that you can listen here, if any of you is interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/76M9XKG6to3oMr7PfGpDLn?si=9cVjyXzmThSsh18go-_E3Q
> 
> See you in future works! ♡


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